Savin' Me
by VoiceOfTime
Summary: sequel to Never Gonna Be Alone. Reworking of Series 4 so the Doctor isn't alone at the end. 10/OC, 10/Rose, alt10/Rose, alt9/OC.
1. Author's Note

Author Note:

Hey guys! Well here we go, Season 4 of Doctor Who.

Just a quick recap:

If you haven't read Never Gonna Be Alone, fair warning, you will be confused.

When we left off, Lily and the Doctor had defeated the Master, left Jack and Martha on Earth, met the Fifth incarnation of the Doctor, and had the Titanic crash into the side of the TARDIS.

If you don't want to read Never Gonna Be Alone, which I recommend you do, here's a brief explanation of who Lily is.

Lily Elizabeth Carter:

Lily is a Time Lord turned human from an alternate reality than the one our Doctor exists in. She was taken away from Gallifrey by her Time Lord parents before the Time War was time locked. They put her in the Chameleon Arch and made her human, leaving her on Earth with a new family, a watch, and no memory of who she used to be. Lily grew in Manhattan, New York, America, happy and loved, but even so, she never truly fit in and longed for the beautiful world she saw in her dreams.

When her class took a trip to the British Isles, she was greeted in Cardiff by a man named Jack Harkness. He revealed to her that she was destined to travel with a man known only as the Doctor. After much explanation, she finally believed him, and she stayed in England. She met a young woman by the name of Rose Tyler, and spent the next few months working in a store called Henriks. Finally, one night, she was attacked by Autotons, and saved by the man she had been waiting for. Unfortunately, Rose was killed in the attack and the Doctor disappeared.

The next day, the Doctor reappeared at her apartment, and she explained who she was to him. She helped him defeat the Nestene and he brought her into the TARDIS. From there they traveled the universe, past, present, and future, and along the way they fell in love. They picked up a young Jack Harkness in WWII London and brought him with them.

Then they were sucked into the Daleks' game station. To protect her, the Doctor sent Lily and the TARDIS back to Earth, but Lily wasn't about to sit idly by while the two men she loved most died.

It was then she finally noticed the two words following her and the Doctor through time: Dark Phoenix. She opened the heart of the TARDIS, absorbed the power of the vortex, and followed the words back to the Doctor.

The moment the power entered her, it began to change her. She wasn't fully human, so it couldn't take complete control, but she wasn't fully Time Lord, so she didn't have full control. She was able to destroy some of the Daleks and chase the rest away. She brought Jack back to life, but she messed up and brought him back for good.

Three days later, she woke up on the TARDIS, the power of the vortex irreversibly a part of her now. She had the Doctor take her back to Earth. To Jack. She finally understood what she had done to him.

From there, they went back to traveling. They met a young doctor by the name of Martha Jones, who diagnosed Lily's new illness as a child. They brought her along for awhile and she helped take care of Lily. When she went home, a woman named Donna Noble joined them.

But then the Daleks came.

Their first wave killed Owen Harper, a friend and the medical officer of Jack's Torchwood, and Gwen Harkness, Jack's wife.

After that there was nowhere to hide.

One by one they were killed off.

Toshiko Sato and Ianto Jones were killed in an attack on a Dalek ship. Martha Jones was trampled to death by a mob, trying to save an injured child. Jack was captured and left on the edge of a black hole, always alive and always dying. Lily was hurt in an explosion and lost her child, a daughter she would have named Samantha.

Finally all that was left was the Doctor, Lily, and Donna in the only safe place left, the TARDIS. But then they captured Donna. They kept her as bait, all the while, torturing her for information she would never give.

Donna died in Lily's arms as she tried to rescue her best friend.

Then the news came that the Daleks were coming for Lily in hopes of controlling her access to the power of the vortex. So the Doctor sent her away. Far away.

As the Doctor in our reality's transmission to Bad Wolf Bay cut off, Lily appeared on the deck of the TARDIS, screaming at the universe to take her back and receiving the answer. No.

The Doctor took Lily in. He gave her a new home.

And together they traveled, meeting new and old faces. They saved Donna Noble from a giant spider and an evil husband. They helped Martha Jones save a hospital and then the world.

They met the Master, who, as it turns out, was Lily's brother, and saved the earth from him.

Along the way, they helped each other to heal. They taught each other how to laugh again, how to live again…how to love again.

Characteristics:

Name: Lily Elizabeth Carter, Dark Phoenix, Alyssy (called that by the Master when she was on Gallifrey)

Age: She was around 20 in Gallifreyan years when she was taken away, and she's lived as a human for 21 Earth years. Normally she'd be considered a very young teenager by the Time Lords, but she has matured at a human rate, so mentally, she is an adult. Usually she ignores the difference between an Earth year and Gallifreyan year and says she's around 41.

Hair: Black

Skin: Pale

Eyes: Grey with flecks of gold or the inverse when she uses her powers. When she goes deeply into the vortex, they can lose all of the grey and turn completely gold.

Height: 5'7"

Personality: She's very sarcastic. She makes jokes when she's upset. She has a need to take care of everyone and tends to put them first even at the risk of ignoring what she needs.

Relationships:

The Doctor-she is his bond-mate. She loves him very much, more than she loved her original Doctor. She needs him every bit as much as he needs her and doesn't take being separated from him very well.

Jack Harkness-she considers him her brother in every way but blood. She views him as only second to the Doctor and would do anything for him.

So, again, if you haven't read Never Gonna Be Alone, stop reading this and go read it. If you have read it, congrats and here we go.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you

Savin' Me!

Abbey


	2. VOD: Silent Night

Disclaimer: Ok, second story and you still haven't got it? Maybe you should be checked for a learning disability. I will cop to not owning Savin' Me by Nickelback.

Ch. 2:

"Uh, Doctor," Lily said from where they lay on the floor, "why is the Titanic sticking through the wall?"

"I have no idea." The Doctor told her, getting to his feet. He reached his hand down and helped her up.

"You okay?" he asked her.

She nodded and moved to the screen.

"We didn't change times." She said, studying the readings. "So how did we wind up with the new wall decoration?"

"Let's find out." He said.

He pushed some controls and the ship slowly moved back, the wall repairing itself as it went. He pushed a few more buttons and the TARDIS materialized inside the ship.

"Shall we?" he asked, holding out her jacket.

She grinned and took it from him.

"We shall." She replied, leading him out the door.

They walked outside to find themselves in what looked to be a cupboard.

"Well, the TARDIS looks okay." Lily said as they checked the outside.

"She is resilient, isn't she?" the Doctor said, patting the side proudly.

"She'd have to be." Lily said as she walked away. "What with your driving and all."

"Hey!" he called, following her.

They walked out of the room and stopped dead.

"This is just weird." Lily said as they took in the room.

All around were people milling about, wearing 20th century dress while waiters and waitresses served champagne and hors d'oeuvres and, in the background, a band played a sedated version of-

"Is that Jingle Bells?" Lily asked.

"Sounds like it." The Doctor replied.

"If Jingle Bells was a funeral dirge." Lily said.

They walked past a pair of gold angels and as they passed, one turned its head.

"Ok, that's creepy." Lily said.

The Doctor drew her to the window and they looked out. Beneath them was Planet Earth.

"Right." The Doctor said, drawing the word out.

"Attention all passengers." A voice called over the intercom. "The Titanic is now in orbit above Sol 3, also known as Earth. Population: Human. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Christmas."

"So, so very weird." Lily said.

* * *

"Max Capricorn Cruise Liners- the fastest, the farthest, the best. And I should know because my name is Max." a bald man told them via video screen.

He smiled and his gold tooth glinted.

"Did his tooth really do that?" Lily asked as the screen reverted to the cruise line logo.

The Doctor and Lily were now dressed to fit in. The Doctor wore his tux and Lily was dressed in a simple black, knee length, sleeveless dress. She wore the Firepoint on a silver chain and had her dagger tucked into her boot.

"You look fine." The Doctor told her as she tugged on the bottom of the dress.

"Yeah, because fine is what every girl dreams of being told she looks like by her signified other." Lily told him sarcastically. "Plus I'm dreading trying to run in this thing."

He gently pushed her hair, which she had taken down from its usual ponytail, away from her face.

"You always look beautiful." He told her with a smile.

She returned it.

"Better." She told him.

"Why do you think you're going to have to run?" he asked her as they moved into the party.

"You're wearing your tux." Lily told him. "At some point I will have to run either from danger or towards it. Why do you think I chose to wear the boots?"

He grumbled but didn't disagree with her assessment.

"Merry Christmas, sir, ma'am." A steward said as they walked past.

"Merry Christmas." The Doctor replied, putting his hand on Lily's back and steering her away before she could say anything.

"It's not a holiday for me, not while I've still got my vone." A man was saying into a vaguely phone looking object. "Now do as I say and sell."

"Well I bet he's just a treat to spend time with." Lily said as the man walked away. "He seems like such a ball of fun."

"Come on." The Doctor said, smiling.

He led her over to one of the Robo-Angels.

"Evening." He said. "Passengers 57 and 58. Terrible memory. Remind me. Uh, you would be…"

"Information: Heavenly Host supplying tourist information." The angel replied.

"Good." The Doctor said. "So, um…tell me-'cause I'm an idiot-"

"He really is." Lily chimed in.

"Shh." He said, waving a hand at her. "Anyway, where are we from?"

"Information: the Titanic is en route from the planet Sto in the Cassvalian Belt." The Angel replied. "The purpose of the cruise is to experience primitive cultures."

Lily opened her mouth angrily and the Doctor slammed his hand over it.

"Titanic." He said, not moving his hand even when she licked it. "Who thought of the name?"

"Information: It was chosen as the most famous vessel of the planet Earth." The Angel told him.

"Did they tell you why it was famous?" he asked, wincing as Lily bit his hand.

_MOVE YOUR DAMN HAND, I CAN'T BREATH! _She yelled in his head.

He sighed and moved his hand.

"Thank you!" she said crossly.

"Information: All designations are chosen by Mr. Max Capricorn, president of Max-Max-Max…"

The Angel began to have a minor meltdown.

"Ooh, bit of a glitch." The Doctor said, reaching into his pocket.

"Sir, we can handle this." A steward called, coming over to them.

He waved for assistance and two other stewards appeared. They switched off the Host and removed it.

"Software problem, that's all." The original one told them. "Leave it with us, sir. Merry Christmas."

"Five bucks says we have to run within the next two hours." Lily said, poking the Doctor in the chest.

"I'll take that bet." He replied, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm going to show you the best, running free, time you've ever had."

She laughed as he dragged her off.

* * *

The Doctor and Lily stood to the side of the party, just observing, when a waitress accidently bumped into the annoying man with the phone that Lily had commented on earlier.

"For Tov's sake," he yelled, "look where you're going! This jacket's a genuine Earth antique."

"I'm sorry, sir." The waitress said, getting down on her knees to begin picking up the broken glass.

"Lily!" the Doctor hissed as she made a bee line for the man.

"You'll be sorry when it comes off your wages, sweetheart." He was saying as Lily walked up. "Staffed by idiots. No wonder Max Capricorn is going down the drain."

"Um, I'd have who ever told you that was an antique fired." Lily said as she walked up.

"What are you talking about?" the man demanded.

Lily clenched her fists as his eyes went straight to her chest.

"First of all, my eyes are up here." She told him, pointing to her head. "Second, that jacket is obviously a knock off, a cheap one at that. Anyone who knows anything about Earth could tell that a hundred yards away."

The man glared at her before turning around and stalking off.

"Bye to you too." She called.

She quickly got to her knees and began helping the young woman.

"Careful." She said. "There we go."

"Thank you, ma'am." The woman said. "I can manage. Really, sir." She said as the Doctor kneeled next to Lily.

"We never said you couldn't." he told her. "I'm the Doctor and this crazy woman is Lily, by the way."

"I'm not crazy." Lily protested. "I just can't abide morons."

"Astrid, sir." The woman said. "Astrid Peth."

"Nice to meet you, Astrid Peth." The Doctor told her. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, sir." Astrid replied, sounding surprised.

"Please, he's just 'Doctor', not sir." Lily told her with a smile. "And, for the record, I'm Lily, not ma'am."

"You enjoying the cruise?" Astrid asked them.

"Um…Yeah, I suppose." The Doctor replied. "It's a nice distraction from recent events."

"Bad times?" she asked.

"Yeah, I suppose." He said, glancing at Lily, who wouldn't meet his eyes.

He knew she was still mourning the loss of the Master. Even with all he had done, he had been her brother, and a part of her still loved him, no matter what. He knew she needed a distraction, and this had appeared.

"What about you?" she asked Astrid, changing the subject effectively. "Long way from home, Planet Sto."

"Doesn't feel that different." Astrid told her. "I spent three years working at the spaceport diner, travelled all the way here…and I'm still waiting on tables."

She got up and walked away.

"No shore leave?" the Doctor asked as he and Lily followed.

"We're not allowed." Astrid told him, clearing a table near the window. "They can't afford the insurance. I just wanted to try it, just once. I used to watch the ships heading off to the stars and I always dreamt of…it sounds daft."

"You dreamt of another sky." Lily finished for her. "New sun, new air, new life. A whole universe teeming with life. Why stand still when there's all that life out there?"

"So…you travel a lot?" Astrid asked.

"All the time." The Doctor answered. "Just for fun. Well, that's the plan. Never quite works."

"Don't let him fool you." Lily told her. "It never works out."

"Must be rich, though." Astrid said.

"Haven't got a penny." The Doctor told her.

"All my money's actually my brother's." Lily answered. "I just steal it from him."

"Stowaways." The Doctor told Astrid quietly.

"Kidding." Astrid said.

"Seriously." Lily replied.

"No!" she gasped.

"Oh, yeah." The Doctor said with a smile.

"How did you get on board?" Astrid asked.

"Accident." The Doctor said. "I've got this, sort of, ship thing. I was just rebuilding her. Left the defenses down, bumped into the Titanic. Here I am. Bit of a party, I thought 'Why not?'."

"I should report you." Astrid told them.

"Go on then." Lily said with a smile.

"I'll get you a drink…" Astrid said in a loud voice and then lowered it to a whisper, "on the house."

She walked away and the Doctor and Lily smiled after them. That is until Lily spotted another injustice.

"Lily!" the Doctor grumbled as she once again stalked off.

Nearby, a group of well dressed people stood laughing at a heavy-set couple dressed in purple country-western outfits, sitting at another table eating.

"Just ignore 'em." The man said to the woman as Lily came up and sat down, the Doctor following after her.

_If we wind up running from an angry mob because you've just insulted them, you still lose the bet. _He told her as they sat.

She stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to the couple.

"Something seems to have amused them." She said, nodding to the other group.

"They told us it was fancy dress." The woman told her. "Very funny, I'm sure."

"They're just pickin' on us because we haven't paid." The man said. "We won our tickets in a competition."

"I had to name the five husbands of Joofie Cystalle in 'By the Light of the Asteroid'." The woman told them. "Did you ever watch…?"

"Is that the one with the twins?" the Doctor asked.

"That's it." She replied. "Oh, it's marvelous."

"Probably not good enough for that lot." The man grumbled, motioning to the laughing crowd. "They think we should be in steerage."

"Can't have that, can we?" the Doctor said, reaching into his pocket.

He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and discreetly pointed it at the group. Suddenly the champagne bottle on the table exploded, spraying the group.

Lily grinned and waved her hand, her eyes glowing slightly. The table collapsed on one side, covering the whole group with food.

"Amateur." She said with a grin as she turned back to the Doctor.

"Did-did you do that?" the woman asked.

"Maybe." The Doctor replied as he put the screwdriver away.

"We like you." The woman told him.

"We do." The man replied, holding out his hand to shake the Doctor's.

"Ow." Lily said, rubbing her arm.

_What? _ the Doctor asked.

_It's nothing._ She replied.

"I'm Morvin van Hoff." The man told them. "This is my good woman, Foon."

"Foon." The Doctor said, shaking her hand. "Hello, I'm the Doctor and this is Lily."

"Your wife?" Morvin asked.

"Ah-um-I..." the Doctor stuttered before Lily jumped in to help him.

"I'm his mate." She told them, kicking the Doctor under the table.

"Ooh, I'm gonna need a Doctor by the time I'm finished with this buffet." Foon told them. "Have a buffalo wing. They must be enormous, these buffalo, so many wings."

"See?" Lily said to the Doctor as they each took a wing. "People come to visit Earth and what do they eat? American food."

"Shut up." He told her.

She grinned and took a bite.

"Attention please." A voice called over the PA. "Shore leave tickets Red 6-7 now activated. Red 6-7."

"Red 6-7." Foon said, taking out her ticket. "That's us."

She stood up and looked at the Doctor and Lily.

"Are you Red 6-7?" she asked.

The Doctor exchanged a look with Lily, who just shrugged.

"Might as well be." He said.

"Come on." Morvin said, putting his arm around Foon. "We're going to Earth."

* * *

"Red 6-7." An older man in a tweed suit called, holding up a sign. "Red 6-7. This way, fast as you can."

The Van Hoffs, the Doctor and Lily made their way over and Astrid walked up to them.

"I got you that drink." She told them.

"And we got you a treat." The Doctor told her as Lily took her tray, setting it on a nearby table. "Come on."

"Red 6-7 departing shortly." The man called.

"Red 6-7 plus one." The Doctor said, holding up the psychic paper as Lily waved.

"Uh, quickly, sir, and please take three teleport bracelets if you would." The man told him.

"I'll get the sack." Astrid whispered.

"Brand new sky." Lily said as the Doctor handed her a bracelet and held one out to Astrid.

"To repeat," the man said, "I am Mr. Copper, the ship's historian, and I shall be taking you to old London town in the country of U.K. ruled over by the good King Wenceslas."

The Doctor quickly grabbed Lily around the waist and pulled her to him, putting his hand over her mouth once again.

_Do not make me knock you out. _He told her, ignoring the strange look Astrid was giving them.

_WENCESLAS? _Lily demanded.

_So he got a few things wrong. _The Doctor said.

"Now human beings worshipped the great god Santa," Copper continued, not noticing them, "a creature with fearsome claws, and his wife Mary. And every Christmas Eve, the people of U.K. go to war with the country of Turkey. They then eat the Turkey people for Christmas dinner…like savages."

_Oh, just a few._ Lily said sarcastically. _Has England ever actually fought a war against Turkey ever? Has anyone?_

"Excuse me, sorry, sorry," the Doctor said aloud. "Um…where did you get all this from?"

"Well, I have a first class degree in Earthonomics." Copper told him. "Now stand by…"

"And me!" a high pitched voice called. "And me! Red 6-7!"

A little, red-skinned alien with short spikes along his head ran up.

"Well, take a bracelet, sir!" Copper told him.

"Uh, but, um, hold on, hold on." The Doctor said, holding Lily even tighter as she struggled to comment. "What was your name?"

"Bannakaffalatta." The red alien replied.

"Okay, Bannakaffalatta." The Doctor said. "But it's Christmas Eve down there. Late night shopping, tons of people. He's like a walking conker. No offence, but you'll cause a riot 'cause the streets are going to be packed with shoppers and parties…"

The group was teleported to the surface and arrived in an empty street.

"Oh." The Doctor said, looking around.

_I'll be good. _Lily told him. _Let me go._

He did as she said.

"Now, spending money." Copper said. "I have a credit card in Earth currency if you want to buy trinkets or, uh, stockings, or the local delicacy, which is known as 'beef', but don't stray too far. It could be dangerous. Any day now they start boxing."

Lily didn't even notice all the wrong things he said. She and the Doctor were two disturbed by the empty street. Astrid on the other hand was in awe.

"It should be full." The Doctor said. "It should be busy. Something's wrong."

"I'm going to try to call Jack." Lily said, pulling out her phone. "He might know what's going on."

"But it's beautiful." Astrid said.

Both Lily and the Doctor stared at her.

"Really?" the Doctor asked. "Do you think so? It's just a street. The pyramids are beautiful and New Zealand…"

"Oh, we still need to go there." Lily said.

"But it's a different planet." Astrid said. "I'm standing on a different planet. Th-there's concrete…and shops, alien shops, real alien shops! Look, no stars in the sky. And it smells. It stinks! This is amazing! Thank you!"

She grabbed first the Doctor and then Lily in a hug.

"Yeah?" the Doctor said. "Come on then, let's have a look."

Lily followed them, sighing.

"What's up?" he asked her.

"Jack's not answering." Lily said.

"Maybe he's busy." The Doctor said.

Lily grinned.

"Maybe Ianto's keeping him busy." She said.

"Well there's an image that's going to be seared into my brain for the rest of time." The Doctor said, closing his eyes with a look of pain.

Lily laughed and took his hand, dragging him across the street to a newspaper stand, Astrid following them.

"Hello there!" the Doctor said to the older man working in it. "Sorry, uh, obvious question, but where's everybody gone?"

"Oh-ho." The man said. "Scared!"

"Right, yes." The Doctor said. "Scared of what?"

"Where have you been living?" the man asked. "London at Christmas? Not safe, is it?"

"Why?" Lily asked.

"Well, it's them, up above." He answered, pointing to the sky. "Look, Christmas before last we had that big bloody space ship, everyone standing on a roof. And then last year, that Christmas Star electrocuting all over the place, draining the Thames."

Lily and the Doctor winced.

"This place is amazing." Astrid said.

"And this year," the man continued, "Lord know what. So everybody's scarpered, gone to the country. All except me…and Her Majesty."

"God save the Queen." Lily said.

"God bless her!" the man agreed with a salute. "We stand vigil."

"Well, between you and me, I think her Majesty's got it right." The Doctor told him with a smile. "Far as I know, this year, nothing to worry about."

The Doctor, Lily, and Astrid disappeared.

"Then again…" the man said, falling back into his seat.

* * *

"I was in mid-sentence." The Doctor said, annoyed, as they rematerialized.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that." Copper told him. "A bit of a problem. If I could have your bracelets-"

"Apologies, ladies and gentlemen, Bannakaffalatta." The Chief Steward said as he joined them. "We seemed to have suffered a light power fluctuation. If you'd like to return to the festivities, and on behalf of Max Capricorn Cruise Liners, free drinks will be provided."

The others drifted off.

"That was the best!" Astrid told the Doctor and Lily. "The best!"

Then she, too, left.

The Doctor approached the Chief Steward, Lily at his side.

"What sort of power fluctuation?" he asked.

A/N: First Chapter of Voyage of the Damned! And Savin' Me is off! Welcome to my cold war! No wait, sorry, that's Farscape. Sentiment's the same. I will right this and Steven can keep up his farce. You pick which one you like and let me know in a review!

Abbey


	3. VOD: Winter Wonderland

Disclaimer: This crazy man in a pinstripe suit just fell out of the sky, so I've decided to keep him.

Ch. 3:

Lily and the Doctor stood to the side again, observing. The Van Hoff's were eating again, the annoying phone man was playing roulette, Bannakaffalatta was dancing, and the band played. Lily smiled slightly and waved when Astrid smiled at them while serving drinks.

"Something is really not right here." Lily said quietly.

She didn't notice Astrid's smile fall slightly when she moved closer to the Doctor, taking his hand in hers.

"Come on." The Doctor said, pulling her over to a video screen showing a loop of Max Capricorn.

"…and I should know because my name is Max." the video said as they walked up.

The Doctor pulled out his glasses and the sonic screwdriver. He began to fiddle with the screen.

"The fastest, the furthest, the best…my name is Max." the video told them.

The Doctor opened the frame and quickly changed some of the settings. The video disappeared and was replaced by an image of the Titanic and the immediate surroundings. Surroundings that included a meteor shower and no shields.

"Oh, we are so screwed." Lily moaned.

The Doctor quickly changed some more settings and hacked into the intercom.

"Is that the bridge?" he called. "I need to talk to the captain. You've got a meteoroid storm coming in West 0 by North 2."

"Who is this?" a voice demanded.

"Never mind that." The Doctor replied. "Your shields are down. Check you scanners, Captain. You've got meteoroids coming in and no shielding!"

"You have not authorization." The Captain told him. "You will clear the comms at once."

"Yeah?" the Doctor shot back. "Just look starboard!"

Two stewards appeared and began to escort the Doctor and Lily out of the reception.

"Come with me, sir." The Chief Steward said.

"You've got a rock storm heading for this ship and the shields are down!" the Doctor argued as they were led through the reception.

The Doctor broke away and ran to the stage where the band was still playing.

"Everyone, listen to me!" he called. "This is an emergency! Get to the lifeb-"

A Host came up behind him and covered his mouth, pulling him away.

The Host dragged the Doctor past a small group, including the annoying man.

"Look out the windows!" the Doctor yelled.

Astrid, the Van Hoff's, the annoying man, and Bannakaffalatta slowly made their way to the window. Outside they saw the meteoroids.

"If you don't believe me, check the shields yourself!" the Doctor shouted.

"Sir, I can vouch for him!" Astrid called.

"Look, steward, he's just had a bit too much to drink." Morvin added.

"Sir, something seems to have gone wrong." Copper said, walking over. "All the teleports are down."

"Now now!" the Chief Steward hissed.

A small piece of rock broke through the window and landed at the annoying man's feet.

"You there." He said, turning to one of the Host. "Has anyone checked the external shielding?"

"Information: You are all going to die." The Host replied.

Lily, who had stopped moving awhile ago, suddenly turned and slammed the steward holding her into a wall, her dagger at his throat. She threw out her hand and wave of gold rolled away, throwing the Host away from the Doctor.

"Lily!" he yelled.

She turned and he saw that her eyes were burning gold.

Then they were grey again.

She pulled away, dropping her dagger as she went. She fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around herself, and biting the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming.

The Doctor ran to her side and pulled the shaking woman into his arms. Finally the shaking stopped and she took quick shallow breaths. He let her go and she reached forward and grabbed her dagger before getting to her feet.

_What just happened?_ The Doctor demanded.

She considered lying, but thought better of it when he made her look at him.

_I don't know._ She told him. _All I know is it hurt. A lot._

He stared at her, but let it go when the stewards began dragging them down the corridor again, Astrid, Mr. Copper, Bannakaffalatta, and the Van Hoff's following behind.

"The shields are down!" the Doctor told them. "We are going to get hit!"

"Oi! Steward!" the annoying man called as he caught up. "I'm telling you the shields are down!"

"Listen to him!" the Doctor yelled. "Listen to him!"

The ship suddenly rocked as the meteoroids hit. The Doctor grabbed Lily and shielded her as they were thrown to the floor. Lily reached out and pulled Astrid to them.

Finally the shuddering stopped and the Doctor got to his feet. He shushed everyone and listened.

"It's stopping." He said.

He reached down and pulled Lily to her feet and into his arms.

_Are you alright?_ He asked.

_Yeah. _She replied.

He bent and kissed her softly. When he pulled away, she buried her head in his chest, holding him tightly.

"You all right?" he asked Astrid over Lily's head.

"I think so." She said as she got to her feet.

"Bad name for a ship." He said as Lily pulled away. "Either that or this suit is really unlucky."

"It's the suit." Lily said. "And you owe me five bucks."

"We haven't run yet." He replied.

"Give it time." She said.

The Doctor went over to one of the stewards and checked him, finding no pulse. Lily went to the other passengers and helped them up.

"My name is Max." they could hear. "My name is Max. My name is Max."

"Oh, shut up." Lily grumbled.

"Ev-everyone…" the Chief Steward said. "Ladies and gentlemen, Bannakaffalatta, I must apologize on behalf of Max Capricorn Cruise Liners. We seem to have had a small collision."

The Doctor went to a nearby comms panel, which seemed to be the source of Capricorn's voice.

_Thank you._ Lily said as the Doctor shut it off.

"Small?" Morvin said indignantly.

"You know how much I paid for my ticket?" the annoying man asked.

"If I could have silence, ladies, gentlemen…" the Steward said as they all argued.

They ignored him.

"Quiet!" he yelled. When they stopped, he continued. "Thank you. I-I'm sure Max Capricorn Cruise Liners will be able to reimburse you for any inconvenience. But first I would point out that we are very much alive."

Astrid ignored him and moved to Mr. Copper's side.

"Are you all right?" she asked him.

She reached over to help him dab the cut on his head.

"She is, after all, a fine, sturdy ship." The Steward continued as the Doctor walked back. "If you could all stay here while I ascertain the exact nature of the-the situation."

"Don't open it!" the Doctor shouted as the Steward reached for the door control.

The hatch opened and the Steward was sucked through it. Suddenly a gold wall appeared and the air returned.

"Lily?" the Doctor called.

"Just close the damn door." She called back, her voice strained.

He did as she said, walking back to the comms unit and used the sonic screwdriver on it.

"Oxygen shield stabilized." The computer told them.

"Everyone all right?" he asked as he ran to his mate's side. "Lily?"

She nodded and let him help her back up, but she gasped when she looked down at her arm. It was rippling with a gold light.

"What is happening to me?" she asked.

The light disappeared and the Doctor shook his head.

"I don't know." He told her. He turned his attention to the others, not letting go of her. "Everyone else okay? Astrid?"

"Yeah." She answered, panting.

"Foon? Morvin?" the Doctor called, and they nodded. "Mr. Copper? Bannakaffalatta?"

"Yes." Bannakaffalatta answered.

"You." The Doctor said, pointing to the annoying man. "What was your name?"

"Ah, Rickston Slade." He answered.

"You all right?" the Doctor asked.

"No thanks to that idiot." He replied.

"The steward just died." Astrid told him.

"Then he's a dead idiot." Slade replied.

Before he could stop her, Lily ripped away from the Doctor and slammed Slade into the wall.

"I may be having a slight disagreement with my power source," she told him in a dangerously low voice, "but I can still kick your ass with little to no trouble, am I understood?"

He nodded and the Doctor walked over.

"Let him go, Lily girl." He said gently.

She held on a moment longer before letting go.

"You better keep her in check." Slade told the Doctor, who glared at him.

"No one keeps Lily in check." He told the man. "You just get out of her way."

He turned his back on Slade and he and Lily walked to the hatch.

"What happened?" Astrid asked, joining them. "How come the shields were down?"

"I don't think it was an accident." Lily said.

They looked out into space and saw bodies among the debris floating above the Earth.

"How many dead?" Astrid asked.

"We're alive, just focus on that." The Doctor told her. "We'll get you out of here, Astrid. I promise. Look at me. I promise."

She nodded.

"Good. Now." He looked around. "If we can get to Reception, I've got a spaceship tucked away. We can all get on board…Oh."

"What is it?" Astrid asked. "What's wrong?"

"That's my spaceship over there." The Doctor said pointing to the blue box floating outside.

"Where?" Astrid asked as Lily hid her face in her hands.

"There, that box." The Doctor said, pointing. "That little blue box."

"I've got it." Lily said.

"That's a spaceship?" Astrid asked.

"Oi, don't knock it." The Doctor said, turning to Lily. "Can you get to it?"

"No power in the 'verse can stop me." Lily told him with a wink. She disappeared in a flash of gold, leaving a shocked group and the Doctor behind.

"How did she do that?" Astrid asked, still staring at the place where Lily used to be.

"Oh, Lily is…special." The Doctor said, distracted. "Let's just hope she can stop it before my ship does…exactly that."

They watched as the TARDIS shot down to Earth.

"It's programmed to lock onto the nearest center of gravity and would be the Earth." The Doctor said.

"Sorry." Lily said as she reappeared. "I couldn't stop it, and she blew about thirty important circuits during reentry. The most I could do was land her safely."

"Where is she?" The Doctor asked.

"I parked her on top of the Hub. Should give Jack a heart attack. Serves him right for not answering his phone." She replied. "We need a new way off the ship of the doomed."

"Optimism is a virtue." He told her as he moved back to the comms unit.

"Not on Earth it isn't." Lily replied, following him. "It's actually viewed as an annoyance by many."

"Deck 22 to the bridge." The Doctor called, ignoring Lily. "Deck 22 to the bridge. Is there anyone there?"

"This is the bridge." A voice replied.

"Oh hello, sailor." The Doctor called back. "Good to hear you. What the situation up there?"

"We've got air." The sailor replied. "The oxygen field is holding. But the captain…" he paused. "He's dead. He did it." He told them, his voice breaking. "I watched while he took down the shields. There was nothing I could do. I tried. I did try."

"It's okay." Lily told him kindly. "I'm sure you did. Just calm down and tell us your name."

"Midshipman Frame, ma'am." He answered.

"Nice to meet you, sir." The Doctor told him. "What's the state of the engines?"

"They're um…" he paused. "Hold on." He told them.

They heard him groan.

"Have you been injured?" the Doctor asked.

"I'm all right." Frame replied. "Oh my vot. They're cycling down."

"That's a nuclear storm drive, yes?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah." Frame replied.

"The moment they're gone, we lose orbit." Lily said grimly.

"The planet." Frame said in horror.

"Oh yes." The Doctor replied. "If we hit the planet, the nuclear storm explodes and wipes out life on Earth. Midshipman, I need you to fire up the engine containment field and feed it back into the core."

"This is never going to work." Frame told him.

"Trust me." The Doctor told him. "It'll keep the engines going until I can get to the bridge."

The Doctor switched off the comms and turned back to the others.

"We're going to die!" Foon said.

"Are you saying someone's done this on purpose?" Copper asked.

"We're just a cruise ship!" Astrid said.

"Okay, okay." The Doctor said, holding up his hands. "Tch, tch. First things first. One: We're going to climb through this ship. B-"

"Two." Lily corrected.

"Right, two: We're going to reach the bridge. Three-or C: We're going to save the Titanic."

"Which just sounds strange." Lily interjected.

"And coming in at a very low four or D or that little 'iv' in brackets they use in footnotes: Why? Right then, follow me."

"Hang on a minute." Slade said. "Who put you in charge and who the hell are you anyway?"

"I'm the Doctor." He replied. "I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm 903 years old and I'm the man who's going to save your lives and all six billion of the people on the planet below. You got a problem with that?"

"No." Slade replied.

Lily raised her hand and the Doctor sighed.

"There is no way you have a problem with that." He told her.

"Oh, no." she said. "I just wanted to say that was really hot."

He reached forward and grabbed her hand, dragging her along.

"Come on!" he called. "Allons-y!"

* * *

The Doctor slowly pushed open a metal door to reveal a stairwell littered with debris and sparking cables.

"Careful." He said. "Follow Me."

He led the way, Lily right behind him, and Astrid, Mr. Copper, Slade, and the Van Hoff's right behind them.

"Rather ironic when this is very much in the spirit of Christmas." Copper said. "It's a festival of violence. They say that human beings only survive depending on whether they've been good or bad. It's barbaric."

"I don't know how to tell you this." Lily told him.

"What?" he asked.

"You're an idiot." She replied. "Christmas is a celebration of peace and thanksgiving."

"What are you on about?" the Doctor asked her. "Christmas is always like this."

"Shut up." She said, turning back to Copper. "It's also the celebration of the birth of one of their deities, but that's beside the point. The point is that my brother is down there with probably some pretty awesome gifts, which makes this one of my favorite holidays, so please stop vilifying something you clearly don't understand."

"We've got a Host." The Doctor called when she took a breath. "Strength of ten. If we can mend it, we can use it to fix the rubble."

"We can do robotics." Morvin called. "Both of us."

"We worked on the milk market back on Sto." Foon added. "It's all robot staff."

"See if you can get it working." The Doctor said. He turned to the others. "Let's have a look."

He took Lily's hand and they climbed up the stairs to find the way blocked.

"Well that's no help at all." Lily said.

"Thanks for that observation." He told her. "What do we do about it?"

"We shift it." Astrid said.

"See, that's the attitude." The Doctor said.

Lily glared at him, but didn't say anything.

"Rickston, Mr. Copper, and you, Bannakaffalatta…look can I just call you Banna?" The Doctor asked. "It's gonna save a lot of time."

"No!" Bannakaffalatta replied. "Bannakaffalatta!"

"All right then Bannakaffalatta," the Doctor said. "There's a gap in the middle. See if you can get through."

"Easy." Bannakaffalatta replied. "Good."

As he squeezed through, the Doctor turned to Lily.

_Are you okay? _He asked.

_No. _she replied. _I'm useless._

_What are you talking about?_

_I could shift all that with a wave of my hand. _She told him. _But I'm…I'm afraid of the pain._

He walked over and pulled her into a hug and she laid her head on his chest.

_I don't know what's wrong, but I don't want you using your power until we know. _He told her.

She nodded and he kissed her forehead.

"I love you." He told her softly.

She didn't say anything, she just let him hold her. That is until the ship lurched again and debris came falling at them.

"This whole thing could come crashing down any minute!" Slade exclaimed.

"Oh, Rickston, I forgot." The Doctor called. "Did you get our message?"

"No." Slade replied. "What message?"

The Doctor and Lily looked at each other and back at Slade.

"Shut up!" they said together.

"Bannakaffalatta made it." He called from the other side.

"I'm small enough." Astrid said. "I can get through."

She leaned down and made her way through.

"Careful." The Doctor called.

"I'm fine." Astrid called back.

"I can too." Lily told him.

"No." he told her. "I want you here. Just in case."

"In case the whole thing collapses and you need someone who can move things with their mind?" she replied.

"Yeah, but let's hope it doesn't come to that." He said.

"Let's." she agreed.

"Thing is, how are Mr. and Mrs. Fatso gonna get through this gap?" Slade asked.

"Has anyone ever told you you're really a prick?" Lily asked before the Doctor could stop her.

"We make the gap bigger." The Doctor said, getting between them. "So start."

He handed Slade a piece of metal.

They worked for a few minutes. Well, Lily, the Doctor, and Mr. Copper worked. Slade watched. Suddenly they heard laughter from the Van Hoff's.

"What happened?" Slade asked. "Did they find a donut?"

Lily threw a piece of metal over her shoulder and it narrowly missed Slade's head.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Watch where you're tossing things!"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Lily said, sweetly. "Did I get you?"

"I can clear it from this side." Astrid called. "Just tell me if it starts moving."

She looked back and saw Bannakaffalatta laying down.

"Bannakaffalatta, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Shhh." He said.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Can't say." He replied.

She moved to his side.

"Are you hurt?" She asked.

"Ashamed." He told her.

"Oh what?" she asked.

"Poor Bannakaffalatta." He said, lifting up his shirt. She saw that he had cybernetic components.

"You're a cyborg." She said, shocked.

"Had accident long ago." He told her. "Secret."

"No, but everything's changed now." She told him. "Cyborgs are getting equal rights. They passed a law back on Sto. You can even get married."

"Marry you?" he asked.

"Well, you can buy me a drink first." She told him with a laugh. "Let's recharge you."

She pressed a button on his torso.

"Just stay there for a bit." She told him as she went back to clearing.

"Tell no one." He said.

"I promise." Astrid told him.

"What's going on up there?" the Doctor called.

"I think Bannakaffalatta and I just got engaged." Astrid called back.

"Mazel Tov." Lily called.

Astrid laughed and got back to work.

A/N: Second chapter of VOD. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	4. VOD: Hark the Herald Angels

Disclaimer: When will these lawyers ever learn? The Doctor is mine! Mine I tell you! No, I don't need to go someplace quiet! Get away from me!

Ch. 4:

The group kept clearing.

"Almost done!" Morvin called.

"Good, good, good." The Doctor replied.

He walked back to the comms.

"Mr. Frame, how's things?" he called.

"Doctor, I've got life signs all over the ship," Frame replied, "but they're going out one by one."

"What is it?" the Doctor asked. "Are they losing air?"

"No." Frame answered. "One of them said it's the Host. It's something to do with the Host."

The Doctor looked at Lily and they both looked to where the Van Hoff's were working. Lily threw herself down the stairs, the Doctor following quickly.

"It's working!" Morvin called.

The Host sat up and took Morvin by the throat.

"Kill." It said. "Kill. Kill."

"Turn if off!" Lily screamed.

"I can't!" Foon yelled.

"Go!" the Doctor said as he and Lily arrived.

Foon backed away and the Doctor whipped out the sonic screwdriver.

"Lock!" he yelled. "Double deadlock!"

The Host froze and he slipped the screwdriver back into his pocket. Lily came over and helped him pry the Host's hands apart to free Morvin.

"Okay, go upstairs!" the Doctor ordered him.

"Run, darling, run!" Foon called.

"Information:" the Host said. "Kill, kill, kill…"

"Foon!" Morvin yelled. "Foon!"

"Rickston!" the Doctor called. "Get them through!"

"No chance!" Slade called back, going through the opening.

"Rickstion, you complete bastard!" Lily screamed at him.

"I'll never get through there." Foon said.

"Yes, you can." Copper told her. "Let me go first."

The Doctor ran for the comms as Lily ran to the others.

"It's the Host!" the Doctor yelled. "They've gone berserk! Are you safe up there?"

"Kill, kill, kill." Came over the comms.

Meanwhile, Mr. Copper and Astrid were pulling Foon from the other side, while Lily pushed her.

"No, I'm stuck!" Foon yelled.

"Come on, you can do it!" Astrid told her.

Mr. Cooper grabbed a metal pole and began to use it as a lever to widen the space.

"It's going to collapse!" Copper called.

Foon finally made it through.

"Rickston, vot damn it!" he called. "Help me!"

"No way." Slade replied.

"Morvin, get through!" the Doctor ordered.

The Doctor and Lily watched as the Host advanced.

"Kill." It said. "Kill. Kill."

"Doctor, he's stuck!" Astrid called.

Lily looked at Morvin and back to the Host.

"Screw it." She muttered.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened it, they burned gold again.

She threw out her arms and a wall of light rolled away, one in each direction. It hit the debris blocking the way and disintegrated it, while the other hit the host, holding it in place.

"Information override!" the Doctor yelled. "You will tell me the point of origin of your command structure."

"Doctor!" Lily screamed.

"Information: Deck 31." The Host replied.

"Thank you." The Doctor replied.

Lily shut her eyes and the light disintegrated the Host.

As the light dissipated, Lily fell to the ground. Her eyes rolled into her head and she began to shake.

The Doctor ran to her and held her still as the others looked on in silence.

"Lily." He whispered. "Come on. Lily, wake up. Come on. You can do it. Come on."

Finally the shaking stopped.

"Astrid." The Doctor called.

Astrid ran to his side and he slid Lily into her arms as he stood up. He quickly walked to Slade and slammed him into a wall.

"If you had helped, maybe she wouldn't have had to do that." The Doctor said quietly. "If you cause her any more pain, you will live to regret it. Am I understood?"

Slade nodded and the Doctor let him go.

He walked back to Lily and Astrid and bent to gather the still unconscious Lily into his arms. He carried her through the group and after a moment, the others followed.

* * *

The Doctor carried Lily through the corridors, even after she regained consciousness.

"Will you put me down?" she asked him crossly as they walked into a large room. "I'm fine."

"You just used the power of the vortex and it sent you into convulsions." The Doctor said. "That is not my definition of fine."

"Okay, maybe not." Lily agreed. "But at the moment, I am capable of walking, so if you don't put me down, I'm not responsible for what happens to you."

He glared at her, but did as she said.

"Thank you." She said as he set her down.

When he let her go, she collapsed, but quickly caught herself with a grin.

"Just a little joke." She told the annoyed Time Lord. "Oh, lighten up!"

"You're not funny." He told her.

She glared at him.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded. "I'm damn funny. Ask anyone!"

He just shook his head.

"Morvin!" Foon called. "Look, food."

"Oh great." Slade said sarcastically. "Someone's happy."

"Don't have any then." Morvin told him.

"Or, better yet, have some and choke to death." Lily told him with a smile.

"Astrid, make sure she eats something." The Doctor called as he walked to the comms.

"Come on." Astrid said, leading Lily to the food.

"Mr. Frame!" the Doctor called. "You still there?"

"Yes, sir." Frame called back. "But I've got Host outside. I sealed the door."

"They've been programmed to kill." The Doctor told him. "Why would anyone do that?"

"That's not the only problem, Doctor." Frame told him. "I had to use a maximum deadlock on the door, which means…no one can get in. I'm sealed off. Even if you can fix the Titanic, you can get to the bridge."

"Yeah, right, fine." The Doctor said. "One problem at a time. What's on Deck 31?"

"Um, that's down below." Frame told him. "It's nothing. Just the Host storage deck. That's where we keep the robots."

"Well, what's that?" the Doctor asked, putting on his glasses and looking at the scanner. "See that panel? Black. It's registering nothing. No power, no heat, no light."

"Never seen it before." Frame told him.

"100% shielded." The Doctor said. "What's down there?"

"I'll try intensifying the scanner." Frame called.

"Let me know if you find anything." The Doctor told him, taking off his glasses. "And keep those engines going!"

"Saved you some." Astrid told him, coming over with a plate of food. "You might be a Time King from Gaddabee, but you need to eat."

"Yeah, thanks." The Doctor said.

He took the food and moved to sit next to Lily. She smiled up at him and snagged a piece of fruit off his plate.

"So, you look good for 903." Astrid told him.

"You should see me in the mornings." The Doctor said.

"You really should." Lily told her. "It's a nightmare."

"Hey, shut it, miss 221." He told her good naturedly.

"Oi!" she said, pushing his arm. "I'm 41."

"Only because you refuse to take into account the difference between an Earth year and a Gallifreyan year." He shot back.

"You both are completely insane." Astrid told them.

"Yep." Lily agreed with a smile.

Mr. Copper came over and sat with them.

"Doctor, it must be well past midnight, Earth time." He told them. "Christmas Day."

"So it is." The Doctor agreed. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Lily agreed, with a smile, laying her head on his shoulder.

He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"This Christmas thing." Astrid said. "What's it all about?"

"Long story." The Doctor told her. "I should know, I was there. I got the last room."

"You bastard!" Lily exclaimed. "How could you leave a pregnant woman outside to have her baby like that?"

"It made a better story." The Doctor told her with a shrug. "Adversity makes the triumph that much better."

"Please tell me you at least gave a gift." She said.

"Of course!" he told her. "I gave him a very nice blanket."

She stared at him.

"You are such a jerk." She told him, turning away.

"What?" he said.

"But if the planet's walking up, can't we signal them?" Copper interrupted. "They can send up a rocket or something."

"They don't have spaceships." Lily said.

"No, I read about it." Copper protested. "They have shuffles, space shuffles."

"Mr. Copper, this degree in Earthonomics….where's it from?" the Doctor asked.

"Honestly?" he asked.

"Just between us." The Doctor agreed.

"Mrs. Golightly's Happy Travelling University and Dry Cleaners." Copper told them.

"You- you lied to the company to get the job?" Astrid asked.

"I-I wasted my life on Sto." Copper told them. "I was a travelling salesman, always on the road and I reached retirement with nothing to show for it. Not even a home. And Earth sounded so exotic."

"Hm, I suppose it is, yeah." The Doctor replied.

"How come you know it so well?" Astrid asked.

"I was sort of…a few years ago, was sorta made…well, sort of homeless, and, um there was the Earth." The Doctor said.

Lily took his hand and squeezed it.

"I was sent there by my parents to grow up when our planet was destroyed." Lily told her. "The Doctor and I are the last of our kind. Earth is really the only home I've ever known."

"I thought you had a brother down there." Astrid said.

Lily grimaced.

"Yeah, well he's not really my brother." She said sadly. "My real brother was killed recently. Jack is my adoptive brother. He's human."

It was the Doctor's turn to squeeze her hand.

"Thing is, if we survive this, there will be police and all sorts of investigations." Copper said. "Now the minimum penalty for space-age fraud is ten years in jail. I'm an old man. Well, I won't survive ten years."

They jumped as something banged on the door. The Doctor dropped his food and raced to the door.

"A Host!" he called. "Move! Come on!"

The pounding continued and dents began to form. Astrid screamed and they followed the Doctor to the opposite door. He quickly used the sonic screwdriver to open it and they rushed through to find a giant cavern blocking their way. The only way across was a fallen strut that had formed a makeshift bridge.

"Is that the only way across?" Slade asked.

"Oh the other hand, it is a way across." The Doctor said.

"Stop putting a positive spin on everything." Lily told him.

"The engines are open." Astrid pointed out.

"Nuclear storm drive." The Doctor said. "Soon as it stops, the Titanic falls."

"But that thing, it'll never take our weight." Morvin said.

"You're going last, mate." Slade said.

"Doctor, if I kill him, would that be a problem?" Lily called, glaring at Slade. "I can make it look like a painful accident."

"Let's keep that in reserve." He told her. "It's nitrofine metal. It's stronger than it looks."

"All the same, Rickstion's right." Morvin said. "Me and Foon should-"

He stepped on a weak piece of metal, and before anyone could do anything, he fell.

"Morvin!" Foon screamed.

The others stood in horror.

"I told you!" Slade shouted. "I told you!"

Lily punched him in the stomach and slammed his face into her knee, breaking his nose, before tossing him to the ground.

"If any of us deserves to die, it's you." She told him, cold fury ringing in her voice. "So do yourself a favor, and shut the fuck up."

"Bring him back!" Foon cried hysterical. "Can't you bring him back? Bring him back, Doctor!"

"I'm sorry, I can't." he told her.

"You promised me!" she told him.

"I know." He said. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Doctor!" Lily called.

She was staring out the door where a group of Host marched towards them.

"Those things are like freaking bloodhounds." She said. "It's like they've got our sent."

"I'm not waiting." Slade said, holding his broken nose. He started across the bridge.

"Careful!" the Doctor called. "Take it slowly!"

The ship rocked and Slade almost fell.

"So close!" Lily called. "Wanna try again?"

"Vot help me." He said.

"You're okay." The Doctor called. "One step at a time. Come on, you can do it."

"What did I say about positive spins?" Lily grumbled.

"Kill." The heard the Host. "Kill. Kill."

"They're getting nearer!" Copper called.

"Seal us in." Lily told him quietly.

He nodded, using the sonic screwdriver to do just that.

"Leaving us trapped, wouldn't you say?" Copper said.

"Never say trapped, just inconveniently circumstanced." The Doctor told him.

"Like I'm inconveniently circumstanced in a bond with a damn optimist." Lily grumbled.

"Oh." Copper replied.

Slade was already halfway across by now.

"I'm okay!" He called.

"Well, that's just too bad!" Lily called back. "I guess we'll just have to soldier on."

"Maybe he's alright." Foon said. "Maybe-Maybe there's a gravity curve down there or something. I don't know. Maybe he's unconscious."

"I'm sorry, Foon." Astrid told her. "He's gone."

"What am I going to do without him?" Foon asked, crying.

"Yes!" Slade yelled as he made it across. "Oh yes! Who's good?"

"Well, it isn't the jackass dancing around, is it?" Lily yelled back.

"Leave him alone." The Doctor ordered. "Bannakaffalatta, you go next."

"Bannakaffalatta, small." He said as he started across.

"Slowly!" the Doctor called.

The Host began pounding on the door.

"They've found us!" Copper called.

"Astrid, get across right now." The Doctor told her.

"What about you?" she asked.

"Just do it. Go on." He ordered.

Astrid did as he said and started across.

"Mr. Copper, we can't wait." The Doctor said. "Don't argue. Foon you've got to get across right now."

"What for?" she asked. "What am I gonna do without him?"

"Just think, what would he want?" Lily asked her.

"He don't want nothing, he's dead!' Foon told her, sobbing.

"Doctor!" Slade called. "I can't open the door. We need that whirring key thing of yours!"

"I can't leave her!" the Doctor yelled.

"She'll get us all killed if we can't get out!" Slade yelled back.

"Go." Lily told him. "I'll stay with her."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'll be fine." She told him. "Go be a hero."

He leaned over and kissed her swiftly.

"I'll come back for you." He said. "For both of you."

Lily nodded and the Doctor started across.

The metal began to creak.

"Too many people!" Bannakaffalatta said.

"Oi!" the Doctor called. "Don't get spiky with me! Keep going!"

"It's gonna fall!" Astrid yelled.

"It's just settling!" the Doctor yelled back. "Keep going!"

It became quiet as the pounding stopped.

"They've stopped." Astrid breathed.

"Gone away?" Bannakaffalatta asked.

"Why would they give up?" the Doctor asked.

"Never mind that." Slade yelled. "Keep coming!"

"Where have they gone?" the Doctor called, ignoring him. "Where are the Host?"

"Doctor!" Lily called.

"I'm afraid we forgot the tradition of Christmas." Copper said, looking up. "That angels have wings!"

He pointed and they saw Host gliding down from above and encircling them.

"Information:" they said. "Kill."

The Host reached for their halos.

"Arm yourselves!" the Doctor called. "All of you! Lily if you try to destroy them, I will knock you out!"

"Doctor!" she yelled.

"No!" he yelled back. "I've promised to protect you twice now, and I won't break either promise!"

Everyone reached for pieces of metal to defend themselves as the Host threw their halos. Everyone did their best do deflect them, but one still hit the Doctor's arm and another hit Mr. Copper's leg. Astrid fell to her knees.

"I can't!" she cried.

"Doctor!" Lily yelled.

"No!" he shouted.

"Bannakaffalatta stop!" Bannakaffalatta shouted. "Bannakaffalatta pround! Bannakaffalatta cyborg!"

He lifted up his shirt and sent out an energy discharge, disabling the Host, and one fell on the bridge while the rest fell into the engines.

"Electromagnetic pulse took out the robotics!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Oh, Bannakaffalatta, that was brilliant!"

Bannakaffalatta fell down and Astrid moved quickly to his side.

"He used all his power!" she called.

"Did good?" he asked.

"You saved our lives." She told him.

"Bannakaffalatta happy." He said.

"We can recharge you!" she told him. "Get you to a power point and just plug you in!"

"Too late." He replied.

"No, but…you gotta get me that drink, remember?" she told him.

"Pretty girl." He said.

He closed his eyes and he was gone.

A/N: Third chapter. Review! Thank you.

Abbey


	5. VOD: I Wonder as I Wander

Disclaimer: They put me in this room and told me the Doctor would be right in, but instead they sent this dude in a white coat to tell me that the Doctor wasn't real! Then they locked me in here. When I escape, they shall be punished.

Ch. 5:

Astrid moved to shut Bannakaffalatta's shirt, but Copper stopped her, reaching for his power source.

"I'm sorry." He told her. "Forgive me."

"Leave him alone." She told him.

"It's the EMP transmitter." He told her. "He-he'd want us to use it."

He quickly removed the device.

"I used to sell these things." He told them. "They'd always give me a bed for the night in the cyborg caravans. They're good people. But if we can recharge it, we can reuse it as a weapon against the rest of the Host. Bannakaffalatta might have saved us all."

"Do you think?" Slade called. "Try telling him that."

He pointed to the Host moving behind the Doctor.

"Information: Reboot." It said.

"Use the EMP!" Slade shouted.

"It's dead!" Copper shouted back.

"It's gotta have emergency-" she said, taking it from Copper.

The Doctor turned to face the Host.

"No, no, no." he said. "Hold on. Override loophole security protocol…Ten! 666! Oh. 21, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Um, I dunno, 42! Uh, one!"

The Host stopped, mid-motion, and stood passively.

"Information: state request." It said.

"You are so damn lucky!" Lily called to him.

"Good…right." The Doctor said. "You've been ordered to kill the survivors, but why?"

"Information: No witnesses." It replied.

"But this ship's gonna fall on the Earth and kill everyone." The Doctor said. "The human race have nothing to do with the Titanic so that contravenes your orders, yes?"

"Information: Incorrect." It replied.

"But why do you want to destroy the Earth?" the Doctor asked.

"Information: It is the plan." It answered.

"What plan?" the Doctor demanded.

"Information: Protocol grants you only three questions." It told him. "These three questions have been used."

"Well, you could have warned me." The Doctor said.

"Information: Now you will die." It told him.

The Host raised its arm to strike the Doctor, when a lasso appeared around it being tightened by Foon. Behind her, the Doctor could see Lily struggling to sit up after being knocked down.

"You're coming with me." Foon said.

Before the Doctor could move, she shut her eyes and jumped off the side, taking the Host with her.

"No!" the Doctor screamed as all they could do was watch her fall.

The Doctor slowly stood up.

"No more." He said softly.

He looked at Lily, who was leaning against the wall.

_Go. _She told him. _I'll catch up._

_Are you sure?_ He asked.

She nodded and waved him off.

_Keep them safe._

He nodded and followed the rest across the bridge.

"What about Lily?" Astrid asked.

"She'll catch up." The Doctor said as he opened the door.

He led them out and stopped.

"Right." He said. "Get up to Reception One. Once you're there, Mr. Copper, you've got staff access to the computer. Try and find a way of transmitting an SOS. Astrid, you're in charge of this." He handed her the EMP. "Once it's powered up, it'll take out Hosts with in fifty yards, but then needs sixty seconds to recharge. Got it?"

There was a flash of gold and Lily fell to the ground, clutching her side. Her skin was rippling gold.

"You couldn't just walk?" the Doctor asked as he helped her up. "Whatever is wrong, you're just making it worse."

"Actually, I think I'm becoming accustomed to the pain." She told him with a weak smile. "Besides, I didn't know how far you'd gotten. This was quicker."

"Here." He said, handing her the sonic screwdriver. "Open the doors. Take Rickston."

"Why?" Lily whined.

"Because I don't want him here." He told her.

"Fine, but if I kill him, it's on your head." She told him. "Come on, jackass."

She stalked off, Slade following behind her.

The Doctor took down a nearby first aid kit and handed it to Mr. Copper.

"Mr. Copper, I need you fighting fit." He told him. "Astrid, where's the power point?"

"Under the comms." She told him.

They went to the power point, and the Doctor quickly showed her how to charge the EMP.

"When it's ready," he told her, "that blue light comes on there."

"You're talking as if you're not coming with us." She said.

"There's something down on Deck 31." He told her. "I'm gonna find out what it is."

"What if you meet a Host?" Astrid asked.

"Well," he said, "then I'll just have some fun, eh?"

"Sounds like you do this kind of thing all the time." She said.

"Not by choice." He told her. "All Lily and I do is travel. That's what we are, just travelers. Imagine it. No tax, no bills, no boss, just the open sky."

"I'm sort of…unemployed now." She said. "And I was thinking, the blue box is kinda small, but I could kinda squeeze in. Like a stowaway."

"It's not always safe." He said.

"And?" she replied. "I've got no one back on Sto, no family, just me. So what do you think? Can I come with you?"

She saw him look over her head and she turned to find Lily leaning on the wall behind her.

Lily smiled at her and nodded at the Doctor.

"Without Martha, I need someone to help me keep you in line." She told him.

"I guess that settles it." He told Astrid, smiling.

The ship lurched again and he quickly stood up and spoke into the comms.

"Mr. Frame, are you still with us?" he called.

"It's the engines, sir." Frame called back. "Final phase. There's nothing more I can do. We've got only eight minutes left."

"Don't worry, I'll get there." The Doctor told him.

"The bridge is sealed off!" Frame replied.

"Yeah, yeah, working on it." The Doctor said. "I'll get there, Mr. Frame, somehow."

The EMP glowed blue.

"All charged up?" he said. "Mr. Copper, look after Astrid. Astrid, look after him. Rickstion, um…look after yourself. Lily look after all of them."

"And where do you think you're going?" she asked, following him as he walked away.

"I'm going after the Host." He told her.

"Like hell you are!" she said, grabbing his arm and turning him around to face her.

"I have to know what they're up to." He told her.

"Then I'm coming with you." She told him.

"No." he said. "You have to lead them."

"Please." She said softly. "Don't leave me."

He pulled her to him and kissed her. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he pulled her even closer, pouring his love through their bond.

"At least I didn't knock you out this time." He whispered.

"Jerk."

"I'll come back." He told her. "I'll always come back to you."

"You better." She replied before letting him go. "Here." She said as she held out the sonic screwdriver.

"Keep it." He told her. "I'll get it later."

She nodded and watched as he walked away until Astrid came up beside her.

"Come on." She said. "We have to go."

Lily nodded and walked away, trying not to think about the fact that the Doctor walked the opposite way.

* * *

Lily led the way through the corridors and quickly opened the first locked door they came to. Behind it stood a Host.

"Do it!" Slade shouted.

Astrid held up the EMP, pushed the button, and the Host collapsed.

Everyone cheered except Lily.

"Come on." She said, pushing them forward.

* * *

The Doctor ran into a small kitchen and was quickly surrounded by Host. He grabbed a pot and brandished it like a weapon.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" he said quickly. "Security protocol one! Do you hear me? One! One!"

The Host stopped advancing.

"Okay." He said. "That gives me three questions. Three questions to save my life, am I right?"

"Information: Correct."

"No, that wasn't one of them." The Doctor protested. "I didn't mean it. That's not fair. Can I start again?"

"Information: No."

"No, no!" the Doctor shouted. "No, no, no. That wasn't one either. Blimey. One question left. One question. So, you've been given orders to kill the survivors, but survivors must therefore be passengers or staff, but not me or Lily. We're not passengers. We're not staff. Go on, scan me. You must have bio records. No such person on board. I don't exist therefore…you can't kill me. Therefore, I'm a stowaway and stowaways should be arrested and taken to the nearest figure of authority. And I reckon the nearest authority is on Deck 31. Final question: am I right?"

"Information: Correct."

"Brilliant! Take me to your leader!" he said smiling. "I've always wanted to say that."

* * *

The group finally made it to reception and Astrid used the EMP to knock out the last Host.

"Rickston, seal the doors." Lily ordered, tossing him the screwdriver. "Make the room secure. Astrid, give the EMP to Mr. Copper and help me with the computer. We need to send that SOS."

The two women ran to the computer and Lily groaned when she saw the computer was down.

"Ricky, you done yet?" Lily called.

"Yes." He replied shortly.

"Good, I need the sonic screwdriver back." She told him.

He handed it to her and she began messing with the computer.

"Damn it!" she said a minute later, slamming her fist down on it. "It's fried."

She was silent for a moment before turning to Astrid.

"Take care of them." She told her before disappearing in a flash of gold.

"Damn." Astrid said.

She spotted the teleport bracelets and ran to the comms.

"Bridge, this is Reception!" she called.

"Who's there?" Frame asked.

"Astrid Peth." She replied. "I was with the Doctor. Tell me, can you divert power to the teleport system?"

"No way." Frame told her. "I'm using everything I got to keep the engines running."

"It's just one trip." Astrid told him. "I need to get to Deck 31."

"And I'm telling you no." Frame replied.

"Mr. Frame." Astrid said. "This is for the Doctor. He's gone down there on his own, and Lily's followed after him, but I don't know if she can make it. I…I can't just leave them. They've done everything they can to save us. It's time we did something to help them."

There was a pause.

"Giving you power." Frame told her.

Astrid quickly turned on the teleport and grabbed a bracelet.

"Mr. Copper, I'm gonna find them." She called as she put on a bracelet.

"Good luck." He told her.

She disappeared.

* * *

She appeared in a very damaged storage facility. She looked around and saw Lily huddled in a corner, shaking and her skin rippling with gold light.

"Lily!" she called softly, running to her side.

"Don't touch me." Lily hissed.

Astrid quickly back away.

"I'm sorry." Lily told her, breathing heavily. "But I literally don't know what would happen to you if you touched me right now."

"It's alright." Astrid told her.

Lily smiled grimly at her worried look.

"Don't worry, I'm not dead yet." She told her. "I hurt too much to be dead."

There was a commotion as the Host dragged the Doctor into the room and Lily and Astrid hid behind some crates.

_I'm here._ Lily told the Doctor.

He glanced around and spotted her shaking form.

_You're an idiot._ He told her. _I suppose Astrid is with you too?_

_Hey, I tried to leave her behind, but she wasn't having it._ Lily told him. _What can I tell you, I like her._

He looked around the room.

"Now that is what you call a fixer-upper." The Doctor said aloud. "Come on then, Host with the most, this ultimate authority of yours, who is it?"

He spun around as two doors slid open behind him.

"Ooh, that's clever." He said. "That's an onmistate impact chamber. Indestructible. You can survive anything in that, eh?"

_I'm having one installed in the TARDIS._ Lily told him, the shaking finally subsiding.

_Shut it. _

A vehicle started to wheel out.

"Sit through a supernova or a shipwreck." The Doctor continued. "Only one person can have the power and the money to hide themselves onboard like this and I should know, 'cause…"

The vehicle appeared to be a giant life support system for a head. A head of one Max Capricorn.

"My name is Max." he finished with a smile, his gold tooth glinting.

"It really does that." The Doctor marveled.

"Who the hell is this?" Capricorn demanded.

"I'm the Doctor." He answered. "Hello."

"Information: Stowaway." The Host answered.

"Well…" the Doctor said.

"Kill him." Capricorn ordered.

"Oh, no, no!" the Doctor protested. "Wait, but you can't. Not now. Come on, Max…You've given me so much good material. Like…How to get ahead in business. See? 'Head'? 'Head in business'? No?"

"Oh, ho, ho, the office joker." Capricorn said. "I like a funny man. No one's been funny with me for years."

"I can't think why." The Doctor said.

"176 years of running the company have taken their toll." Capricorn told him.

"Yeah, but…nice wheels." The Doctor said.

"No, a life-support system in a society that despises cyborgs." Capricorn replied. "I've had to hide away for years. Running the company by hologram. Host, situation report."

"Information: Titanic is still in orbit."

"Let me see." Capricorn said. He moved forward and the Doctor got out of his way. "We should have crashed by now. What's gone wrong?"

He went to the edge and looked down at the engines.

"The engines are still running!" he exclaimed. "They should have stopped!"

"When they do, the Earth gets roasted." The Doctor said. "I don't understand. What's the Earth got to do with it? And I've got to say, I'm against roasting the Earth. Not in the least part, because my mate's brother is down there and she gets fairly annoyed when people try to kill her brother. And she can be downright cranky when she's annoyed. "

_Oh, thanks for that._ Lily told him sarcastically.

_You're welcome. _He replied brightly.

"This interview is terminated." Capricorn told him.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" the Doctor said. "Hold on! Hold on! Hold on! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! I can work it out. It's like a task. I'm your apprentice. Just watch me. So…Business is failing and you wreck the ship so that makes things even worse. Oh yes! No. Yes. The business isn't failing, it's failed. Past tense."

"My own board voted me out." Capricorn told him. "Stabbed me in the back."

"If you had a back." The Doctor said.

* * *

Unnoticed, Astrid inched forward.

"What are you doing?" Lily hissed. "Get back here!"

* * *

"So…" the Doctor continued. "You scupper the ship, wipe out any survivors in case anyone's rumbled you and the board find their shares halved in value. Oh, but that's not enough. No, 'cause if a Max Capricorn ship hits the Earth, it destroys an entire planet. Outrage back home. Scandal! The business is wiped out."

"And the whole board thrown in jail for mass murder." Capricorn added.

"While you sit there," the Doctor said, "safe inside the impact chamber."

"I have men waiting to retrieve me from the ruins and enough off world accounts to retire me to the beaches of Petaxico Two where the ladies, so I'm told, are very fond of…metal." Capricorn told him.

"So that's the plan." The Doctor said, sounding disgusted. "A retirement plan. 2000 on this ship, 6 billion underneath us, all of them slaughtered. And why? Because Max Capricorn is a loser."

"I never lose." Capricorn told him.

"You can't even sink the Titanic." The Doctor shot back.

"Oh, but I can, Doctor." Capricorn told him. "I can cancel the engines from here."

An alarm began to sound.

* * *

Lily never saw it coming. One moment she was conscious, the next she was unconscious.

"Sorry, Lily." Astrid said, dropping the piece of wood. "But I figure the Doctor would be cross if I let you hurt yourself any further."

She ran off.

* * *

"You can't do this!" the Doctor shouted.

"Host, hold him." Capricorn ordered.

Two Host grabbed the Doctor's arms and began to pull him away.

"Not so clever now, Doctor." Capricorn said. "A shame we couldn't work together. You're rather good. All that banter, yet not a word wasted. Time for me to retire. The Titanic is falling. The sky will burn. Let the Christmas inferno commence. Oh! Oh, Host! Kill him."

The other Host not holding the Doctor took off his halo, preparing to follow orders.

"Mr. Capricorn!" a voice called.

They turned to see Astrid in a forklift.

"I resign." She said before starting the forklift and rushing towards Capricorn.

"Astrid, don't!" the Doctor yelled.

Astrid hit Capricorn at just the right angle to lift the front wheels off the ground, but not the back, putting the two vehicles in a standoff. The Host that was preparing to kill the Doctor turned his attention to Astrid. He threw the halo, but missed Astrid, instead, hitting a cable.

"He's cut the break line!" the Doctor called.

Astrid looked at the Doctor and smiled slightly before turning back. She raised the fork higher, lifting Capricorn fully off the ground, and floored the gas.

"Astrid!" the Doctor yelled.

Lily came round just in time to see the forklift go over.

"No." she said weakly, trying to move, but her body wouldn't cooperate.

The Doctor ran to the edge and watched, helpless as Astrid fell.

After a moment, he turned and walked to where Lily was struggling to sit up, tears falling down her cheeks.

"She hit me with a beam." She said softly as he helped her to sit fully up. "I didn't even see it coming. And then it was too late."

"I know." He said gently. "It wasn't your fault."

She gently lifted her hand to his cheek.

"It wasn't yours either." She told him.

"Come on." He said. "We need to get to the bridge."

"You go." She told him. "Save the ship. Come pick me up after."

"You're going to stay here?" he asked her.

"If I tried to move right now, I'd just throw up." She told him. "Go. I'll be fine."

He nodded and back away. He snapped his fingers and two Host grabbed him by the arms and lifted him up. They flew up, their arms outstretched, and slammed through the floor of the bridge.

Frame screamed.

"Deadlock broken." The computer announced.

"Ah, Midshipman Frame!" the Doctor said as he climbed through the hole. "At last!"

"Uh, but-but the Host!" Frame said.

"Controller dead, they divert to the next highest authority." The Doctor told him. "And that's me."

"There's nothing we can do." Frame told him. "There's no power. The ship's gonna fall."

"What's your first name?" the Doctor asked as he took the wheel.

"Alonzo." Frame replied.

The Doctor turned to him, totally surprised.

"You're kidding me." He said.

"What?" Frame said, confused.

"There's something else I've always wanted to say." The Doctor said. "Allons-y Alonzo! Whoa!"

The ship tossed as the Doctor tried to steer her. They fell straight toward the Earth's atmosphere, Frame screaming as they went. Outside, the hull began to burn on entry and inside, the Doctor fought to control the wheel.

An alarm sounded and the Doctor used his foot to check it. Or he tried.

"I got bored." Lily said weakly as she pressed the button for him. "Also it seemed like you could use some help."

She checked the reading and sighed. She hit the comms button.

"Hello, yes, um… could you get me Buckingham Palace?" she called.

"Listen to me!" the Doctor yelled when the Palace answered. "Security Code 771! Now get out of there!"

The ship continued to fall and the Doctor and Lily continued to try to regain control.

"Engine active." The computer finally said. "Engine active."

The Doctor pulled back on the wheel, sending Frame flying back into a wall. Straining, the Doctor slowly regained control. He and Lily watched as they narrowly avoided the roof of Buckingham Palace.

The Doctor gasped and exchanged a look with Lily as they headed back out of the atmosphere.

The Doctor laughed as he regained full control and Frame began ringing the ship's bell.

"Whoo-hoo!" he yelled.

"Whoo-hoo-hoo!" the Doctor agreed.

Lily just collapsed on the floor, too tired to celebrate.

* * *

The Titanic was once again in orbit when the Doctor joined Frame and Lily on the floor. He leaned his head on Lily's shoulder and she put her's on top of his.

"Used the heat of re-entry to fire up the secondary storm drive." He told them. "Unsinkable, that's me."

"We made it." Frame said.

"Not all of us." The Doctor disagreed.

They were silent for a second.

"Teleport." Lily said suddenly.

"What?" the Doctor asked.

"She was wearing a teleport bracelet!" Lily told him.

He kissed her forehead and rushed out the door.

Frame helped Lily to her feet and they followed him.

* * *

The Doctor ran into Reception, his hand held out in front of him.

"Rickston!" he shouted. "Sonic!"

Slade threw it and the Doctor caught it.

"Mr. Copper, the teleports, have they got emergency settings?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't know." Copper replied. "They should have."

"She fell, Mr. Copper." The Doctor told him. "She fell. What's the emergency code?"

"Uh, let me see…" Copper said.

"What the hell are you doing?" Frame asked.

"We can bring her back." The Doctor said by way of explanation.

He began to work on the teleport as Frame helped Lily into a nearby chair.

"If a passenger has an accident on shore leave and they're still wearing their teleport," Copper explained, "their molecules are automatically suspended and held in stasis so that we can just trigger the shift."

"There!" the Doctor exclaimed as he finished.

He stood and turned around. A glowing, transparent Astrid appeared.

"I'm falling." She said.

"Only halfway there." The Doctor said. "Come on."

"Doctor." Lily said softly.

He began to adjust the inner workings of the teleport.

"I keep falling." Astrid said.

"Feed back the molecule grid, boost it with the restoration matrix." He said.

The teleport began to spark.

"No, no, no, no!" he shouted. "Need more phase containment."

"Doctor." Lily repeated, standing up.

"No!" he shouted. "If I can just link up the surface suspension…"

"Doctor." Lily said, laying a hand on his. "She's gone."

"I just need to override the safety." He told her. "I can do it."

"It's time to let her go." She replied.

The Doctor turned to look at the ghost-like Astrid and kicked the console in frustration.

"I can do anything!" he said.

Lily smiled sadly.

"I wish that were true, love." She said softly. "But you know you can't."

"Stop me falling." Astrid said.

The Doctor walked towards her and Lily let him go.

"There's not enough left." Copper told him. "The system was too badly damaged. She's just atoms, Doctor. An echo with the ghost of consciousness. She's stardust."

"Astrid Peth." He said, walking closer. "Citizen of Sto. The woman who looked at the stars and dreamt of travelling. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He gently leaned down and kissed her fore head.

"Now you can travel forever." He told her.

He pointed the sonic screwdriver at a window behind her. As it opened, she turned into molecules of light.

"You're not falling, Astrid." He told her. "You're flying."

The lights floated out the window as the rest of them watched.

The Doctor turned and walked back to Lily, who wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly.

* * *

"The engines have stabilized." Frame told them. "We're holding steady till we get help and I've sent the SOS. A rescue ship should be here within twenty minutes. And they're digging out the records of Max Capricorn. It should be quite a story."

"They'll want to talk to all of us, I suppose." Copper said.

"I'd have thought so, yeah." Frame replied.

Copper wandered over to the Doctor and Lily, who were standing hand in hand in, silently looking out a window.

"I think, uh, one or two inconvenient truths might come to light." Copper said. "Still, it's my own fault, and then years in jail are better than dying."

"Doctor…" Slade said as he walked over. "I never said…thank you."

He hugged him and went to hug Lily, but seemed to think better of it.

"The funny thing is…" he said. "I said Max Capricorn was falling apart. Just before the crash, I…sold all my shares, transferred them to his rivals. It's made me rich. What do you think of that?"

"Slade, if you don't go away right this minute, I will kill you, do you understand?" Lily growled at him.

Slade's vone rang and he pulled it out as he walked away.

"Salvain? Those shares, I want them triple-bonded and locked." He said.

"Oh all the people to survive," Copper said, "he's not the one you would have chosen, is he? But if you could choose, Doctor, if you decide who lives and who dies…" he shrugged, "that would make you a monster."

The Doctor looked at him and sighed.

"Mr. Copper…" he said.

He reached over and picked up three teleport bracelets, handing one to him and one to Lily.

"I think you deserve one of these." He told the older man.

Mr. Copper smiled and put it on.

Frame saw them and started to stop them, but stopped.

The Doctor started the machine and before they disappeared, Frame saluted them. The Doctor returned it, holding a forefinger to his forehead before they disappeared.

They appeared in the middle of Cardiff, right next to the TARDIS right as they snow began to fall.

"So, Great Britain is part of , uh, 'Europee', and just across the British Channel, you've got Great France and Great Germany."

"No, no, it's just-it's just France and Germany." The Doctor told him. "Only Britain is great."

"Oh, and they're all at war with continent of Ham-erica?" he asked.

"No, well…" the Doctor said. "Not yet, uh…could argue that one."

"Depends on what day you catch them on." Lily told him.

"There she is." The Doctor said, walking up to the TARDIS. "Survive anything."

_You are in so much trouble, Theta, I have yet to come up with a suitable punishment. _The TARDIS told him.

"You know," Copper said, looking up at the sky, "between you and me, I don't think this snow is real. I think this is the ballast from the Titanic's salvage entering the atmosphere."

"Yeah." The Doctor replied, looking up as well.

"You know," Lily said. "One of these days, it might snow for real."

"So, I-I suppose you'll be off." Copper said.

"The open sky." The Doctor said.

"And, uh, what about me?" he asked.

"We travel alone." The Doctor told him, taking Lily's hand. "It's best that way."

"What-what am I supposed to do?" he asked.

"Give me that credit card." The Doctor said.

Copper handed it over.

"Well, it's just petty cash." He told him. "Spending money. It's all done by computer. I didn't really know the currency, so I thought a million might cover it."

"A million?" Lily said, laughing. "Pounds?"

"That enough for trinkets?" Copper asked.

"Mr. Copper, a million pounds is worth 50 million credits." The Doctor told him, smiling.

"How much?" Copper asked, shocked.

"50 million and 56." The Doctor said after some mental calculation.

"I-I've got money!" Copper exclaimed.

"Yes, you have." The Doctor replied, handing the card back.

"Oh my word." Copper breathed. "Oh my vot! Oh my goodness me! Ya-ha!"

"It's all yours." The Doctor told him. "Planet Earth. Now that's a retirement plan. But just you be careful, though."

"I will." Copper told him. "I will. Oh, I will."

"No interfering." The Doctor told him. "I don't want any trouble. Just…just have a nice life."

"Tomorrow, find a man named Jack Harkness." Lily told him. "Just ask around for Torchwood, and somebody should point you in the right direction. When you find them, tell 'em the Doctor and I sent you. They should be able to help you."

"But I can have a house, a proper house." Copper said. "With a garden and-and a door, and…Oh, I will make you proud." He told them, hugging them each tightly. "And I can have a kitchen with chairs and windows and lace…"

He skipped off laughing, but then he turned back.

"You know, Doctor," he said. "I won't forget her."

The Doctor nodded and smiled slightly.

Mr. Copper returned the nodded before walking away again.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Copper." Lily called softly.

"Come on." The Doctor said, leading her inside. "There's something else we need to figure out."

* * *

The Doctor drew some blood and ran it through some contraption. A few minutes later, it spit out a result.

"So what's the conclusion, Doc?" Lily asked him. "Am I dying?"

Seeing his serious expression, she sighed.

"It was when I shot off the suppression device, wasn't it?" she asked.

"Maybe." He replied. "But it could be the fact that you were separated from the vortex for so long, or could just be that the strain on what is essentially a human body has just become too much."

"Or it could be that I did something reckless and stupid and now it's catching up with me." She said. She sighed again. "What is happening exactly?"

"Your cells are degrading." He told her. "Eventually it will cause your organs to shut down and your body to fail."

"I'm betting that's not a very nice death." She said.

He shook his head.

"Not really, no." he said.

"How long?" she asked.

"If you keep using your powers, six months. Tops." He told her.

"If I stop?" she asked.

"Can you stop?" he shot back.

"Just answer the damn question." She told him.

"A year." He replied. "Maybe."

"I could just open the watch." She said.

He watched as she reached over and picked up said item, turning it over in her hand.

_Not time…don't open me…not ready…wait…_

"Well what the hell does that mean?" she asked crossly.

The watch gave no answer.

She sighed and put it back.

"I guess that gives us that answer." She said.

The Doctor took the watch and set it back down. He turned and sat down next to her on the exam table.

"You could take lower doses of the serum." He suggested. "It wouldn't cut you off completely, but I would limit how much power you can access. And I can give you something for the pain."

"If I can't feel the pain, I won't know how much damage I'm doing." Lily pointed out.

"Yeah, but you'll be able to function somewhat normally." He replied.

She sat silently, thinking for a few moments, and then sighed.

"I guess that's what we do then." She said finally. "And we hope the watch decides it's 'time' before my cells do."

He nodded and got down. He went to a cabinet and pulled out the two serums. He injected one after another into her arm.

When he was done, she hopped off the table and dragged him after her.

"Come on." She said.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"If I only have six months," she told him, "I'm going to make the most of them."

She turned and smiled up at him.

"Let's have some fun, shall we?"

A/N: Voyage of the Damned is done! Oh my god, am I evil or what? Lily is dying? I briefly considered making her like Tinkerbell, but instead of clapping demanding reviews, but I decided that wasn't pratical. Anyway, just a few clarifications. JustAPoisonApple pointed out my age thing with Lily and the Doctor last chapter. I realized as I was writing, that a Gallifreyan year would not be the same as an Earth year, so I decided that one Gallifreyan year is equivalent to one hundred Earth years, making Lily 221 in Earth years. She just ignores the difference, though, and says she's 41. So there we go! Also, I think this might be my longest chapter yet! Yay me! Partners in Crime is up next and Donna's return! Please, please, please review! Please?

Abbey

P.S.

I just realized I messed that up again. 1 Gallifreyan year = 10 Earth years, not 100. So 20 Gallifreyan years, plus 21 Earth years equals 221. There we go. Don't blame me, I suck at math.

Abbey


	6. Partners in Crime: Crossing Paths

Disclaimer: The Doctor came to me in a dream last night. He declared me the rightful owner of the rights to his life story. So THERE BBC.

Ch. 6:

"Good morning!" Lily shouted as she jumped on the Doctor's back, laughing. "And how are we this fine morning?"

"Well, if a crazy person hadn't just broken my back, I'd be doing a lot better." He groused good naturedly. "How 'bout you?"

"I'm going shopping." She told him.

"Oh really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "There are shops in the vortex now? They're just taking over everything, aren't they?"

"Gwen offered to take me shopping for something to wear to the wedding." Lily told him. "I still can't believe she's marrying Rhys. That's just blowing my mind."

"You could always meddle." He told her, jokingly.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"No, this Rhys is totally different from the Rhys in the other universe." Lily said, leaning on the console. "Consequently, so is this Gwen. No, Ianto is a better fit for Jack in this universe."

"What am I supposed to do while you're running around, doing girl things?" he asked her.

"That's the best part." Lily told him, smiling. "Jack found something for you to check out. And I checked, it in no way involves lizards. Something to do with a drug company. It's probably nothing, but it'll give you something to do for the day."

"Oh, so now you're arranging play date for me?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes." Lily replied, kissing his cheek. "I'm gonna go get dressed. Gwen expects us there at noon."

"Yes, mistress." The Doctor called as she walked away.

"And don't you forget it." She said, waving a hand at him.

He shook his head and took them out of the vortex.

* * *

"Try not to destroy London." Lily said, kissing his cheek before walking away, laughing with Gwen.

The Doctor stepped back into the TARDIS and set her down in London.

* * *

Donna walked down a crowded street, a red folder in her hand.

* * *

The Doctor walked down and equally crowded street.

* * *

Donna looked up at the tall building before walking towards it.

* * *

The Doctor looked up the same building from the other side.

* * *

"Good morning, Adipose Industries." An Employee said as Donna walked in through the front door.

* * *

The Doctor quickly opened a fire exit using the sonic screwdriver.

* * *

"Donna Noble, Health and Safety." Donna said, flashing a card at a security guard.

* * *

The Doctor walked down a deserted corridor.

"John Smith, Health and Safety." He said, flashing the psychic paper when he came across a guard.

* * *

Donna sat in a lecture room with about three dozen other people, listening to the CEO, Miss Foster.

"Adipose Industries." Foster said. "The 21st century way to lose weight. No exercise, no diet, no pain. Just lifelong freedom from fat. The Holy Grail of the modern age. And here it is."

She held up a small pill.

"You take one capsule, just one capsule, once a day, for three weeks." She told them. "And the fat, as they say…"

"The fat just walks away." A computerized voice announced.

"Excuse me, Miss Foster, if I could?" A woman said, standing up. "I'm Penny Carter, science correspondent for The Observer. There are a thousand diet pills on the market, a thousand con men stealing people's money. How do we know the fat isn't going straight into your bank account?"

"Oh, Penny." Miss Foster said with a laugh. "If cynicism burnt up calories, we'd all be thing as rakes. But if you want the science, I oblige."

She waved her hand and a video began to play behind her.

"Adipose Industries." The voice over said. "The Adipose capsule is composed of a synthesized mobilizing lipase, bound to a large protein molecule."

* * *

The Doctor sat in the projector room, watching the video.

"The mobilizing lipase breaks up the triglycerides stored in the adipose cells, which then enter…"

The Doctor realized the tech was staring at him.

"Health and Safety." He said, flashing the psychic paper. "Film department."

* * *

"100% legal, 100 % effective." Miss Foster said.

"But, can I just ask, how many people have taken the pills to date?" Penny asked.

"We've already got one million customers within the Greater London area alone." Miss Foster told her. "But from next week, we start rolling out nationwide. The future starts here. And Britain will be thin."

* * *

All through the call center of Adipose Industries phones were ringing.

"Good morning, I represent Adipose Industries."

Donna went to a male employee and sat down.

"That's a three-week course of pills for a special price of 45 pounds." He said into the phone, giving her an odd look.

"Donna Noble, Health and Safety." She whispered. "Don't mind me."

* * *

The Doctor sat down next to a female employee.

"We deliver within three working days." She said, looking at him.

"John Smith, Health and Safety." He told her. "Don't mind me."

* * *

"The box comes with 21 days' worth of pills, a full information pack, and our special free gift, an Adipose Industries pendant." The man said into the phone.

* * *

"It's made of 18 carat gold, and it's yours for free." The woman said into the phone, but her eyes were locked on the Doctor. "No, we don't give away pens, sorry. No, I can't make an exception, no."

* * *

"I'll just need to keep this for testing." Donna told him, slipping the pendent into her pocket. "And I need a list of your customers. Could you print it off?"

"Suppose so." He replied.

"Where's the printer?" Donna asked.

"Just over there, by the plant." He told her.

She stood up looking for the printer.

"Which plant, that plant?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's the one." He answered.

"Lovely." Donna replied, sitting down.

* * *

"That's the printer there?" the Doctor asked, standing up.

"By the plant, yeah." She replied.

"Brilliant." The Doctor said as he sat down.

* * *

"Does it need a code?" Donna asked as she stood up. "Last place I worked, the printer needed a code."

"No, I can do it from here." He replied.

She sat back down.

* * *

The Doctor stood back up.

"Has it got paper?" he asked.

"Yeah." She replied. "Jimbo keeps it stocked."

* * *

Miss Foster walked in, flanked by two men, obviously bodyguards.

"Excuse me, everyone." She called. "If I could have your attention."

Everyone stood up except the Doctor and Donna, who looked up and then hid anytime she looked their way.

"On average, you're each selling forty Adipose packs per day." She told them. "It's not enough. I want on hundred sales per person per day. And if not, you'll be replaced. 'Cause if anyone is good in trimming the fat, it's me. Now. Back to it."

She quickly turned and left.

* * *

"Anyway, if you could print that off." The Doctor told her. "Thanks."

* * *

"So if you could just print off that list, I'll get out of your way." Donna told him.

She stood up.

"Lovely!" she said. "Thanks, then. See you!"

She walked to the printer.

* * *

"Thanks, then." The Doctor told her.

He stood up, but she pulled him back down and handed him a piece of paper.

"Oh, what's that?" he asked.

"My telephone number." She told him.

"What for?" he asked, confused.

"Health and Safety." She replied. "You be health, I'll be safety."

_Help me._ He called to the other mind he knew was keeping track of him.

* * *

Gwen jumped as Lily began to laugh.

"What?" she asked.

"Sorry." Lily told her, chuckling. "The Doctor's being hit on and has no idea what to do. It's pretty funny. Just give me a minute."

She smiled as he let her see what he was seeing.

_I don't know, maybe you should take it._ She told him, still laughing. _She's pretty cute._

_It's not funny. _He told her crossly.

_I think it is. _She replied.

_Oh, you're not help at all. _He said.

_Just tell her it's against the rules._ Lily told him.

"All done." She told Gwen and they continued shopping.

* * *

"Ah." The Doctor said. "But that contravenes ah, paragraph five, subsection C. Sorry."

He stood up and went to the printer, but when he got there, there was no print out. He sighed and resolutely ignored the laughing in his head as he walked back.

"Me again." He said, smiling.

* * *

Donna knocked on the door and it was opened by an overweight woman.

"Stacy Campbell?" she asked.

"Who wants to know?" the woman asked.

"My name is Donna, I represent Adipose Industries." She flashed a card, obscured by her fingers. "And you're on the list of our valued customers."

* * *

The Doctor knocked on the door and a man opened it.

"Mr. Roger Davey, I'm calling on behalf of Adipose Industries." He told the man, flashing the psychic paper. "Just need to ask you a few questions."

* * *

"It's been fantastic." Stacy told her. "I've started the pills on Thursday. Five days later, I've lost eleven pounds!"

"And no side effects or anything?" Donna asked.

"No, I feel fantastic." Stacy told her. "It's a new lease of life. Now, what d'you think of these earrings, do they work?"

"Yeah, lovely." Donna answered.

* * *

"I've been on the pills two weeks now, I've lost fourteen kilos." Roger told the Doctor.

"That's the same amount every day?" the Doctor asked.

"One kilo exactly." Roger answered. "You wake up, and it's disappeared overnight. Well, technically speaking, it's gone by ten past one in the morning."

"What makes you say that?" the Doctor asked.

"That's when I get woken up." Roger told him. "Might as well weigh myself at the same time."

* * *

"You going on a date?" Donna asked her.

"I'm doing the opposite." Stacy told her. "I'm dumping him. I can do better than him now. Right, I won't be long. If the taxi beeps, give me a shout."

* * *

"It's driving me mad." Roger told him. "Ten minutes past one, every night, bang on the dot without fail, the burglar alarm goes off. I've had experts in, I've had it replaced, I've even phoned Watchdog. But no, ten past one in the morning, off it goes."

"But with no burglars?" the Doctor asked.

"Nothing." He replied. "I've given up looking."

"Tell me Roger, have you got a cat flap?"

The Doctor and Roger kneeled by the cat flap.

"It was there when I bought the house." Roger told him. "Never bothered with it. I'm not a cat person."

"No, I've met cat people." The Doctor told him. "You are nothing like them."

"Is that what it is then?" Roger asked. "Cats getting inside the house?"

"Well, thing about cat flaps is that they don't just let things in." the Doctor told him. "They let things out as well."

"Like what?" Roger asked.

"The fat just walks away." The Doctor replied.

* * *

"Won't be long!" Stacy called from the bathroom.

"That's all right!" Donna called back.

She pulled out the Adipose pendent and began playing with it absent mindedly.

* * *

"Well, thanks for your help." The Doctor said as he walked out the door. "Tell you what, maybe you could lay off the pills for a week or so."

A device beeped.

"Ooh, gotta go, sorry!" he called, running off."

* * *

Stacy had been in there for awhile.

"You all right up there?" Donna called.

"Yeah." Stacy called back.

She sounded strange so Donna began to make her way upstairs.

"I like what you've done with the hall." She said. "Stacy? Are you alright?" I wouldn't mind a little vist myself. Everything alright in there?"

She knocked on the door.

"Only me." She said. "Do you mind if I pop to the loo? Stacy?"

"Help me!" Stacy yelled. "Oh my God, help me!"

"What is it?" Donna called. "What's wrong?"

She tried the door, but it was locked.

"Stacy!" she yelled.

Stacy screamed and Donna began to beat on the door. By the time she managed to get in, all that was left was a pile of clothes on the floor. Donna looked around and a small, white, doughy thing waved at her before jumping out the window.

* * *

The Doctor ran down the street, holding the device in his hand. He stopped, looking at the device, banged it, blew on it, then held it up again before running off again.

* * *

Donna ran along the street.

* * *

The Doctor ran down the street, waving the device around, looking for a signal. It dinged and he ran off.

* * *

A van passed Donna in the opposite direction.

* * *

The same van passed the Doctor as he ran out into the road. The device dinged again and the Doctor ran after the van, but lost it as it turned the corner.

* * *

A taxi drove up to Donna.

"Stacy Campbell?" the driver asked.

"No." Donna told him. "She's gone."

"Gone where?" the driver asked.

"She's just gone!" Donna yelled at him.

"Aw great." The driver complained. "Thanks for nothing."

He rolled up his window and drove away.

* * *

The Doctor held up the device, but couldn't get a signal.

Disappointed, he walked away.

A street over, Donna did the same.

* * *

_Are you coming back to Cardiff?_ Lily asked the Doctor as he walked back to the TARDIS.

_I guess, why?_ He asked.

_Well, I could just stay here with Jack, if you wanted to stay in London, that is. _

_No._ he said quickly. _I want you to come home._

_Doctor, I haven't used my power in a week and you said I had at least six month, even if I did use it. _She said, knowing what was wrong immediately.

_I know._ He replied. _I still want you to come home. That way you can help me tomorrow._

_Alright._ She said._ I'll see you in a few minutes._

He got in the TARDIS and quickly sent her to Cardiff.

He opened the door to find Lily and Jack waiting for him.

"How was your day?" the Doctor asked as he hugged her and shook Jack's hand.

"She destroyed my bank accounts." Jack told the Doctor. "Literally. I had to transfer money from other accounts to cover it all."

"Oh please it wasn't that bad." Lily told him.

"You bought ten pairs of boots!" he shot back.

"They were on sale!"

"Doesn't mean you needed ten of them!"

"Okay, that's enough." The Doctor said, pulling them apart. "Other than that, everything was fine."

"You need to worry less." Lily told him. "You'll get lines."

"She was fine, Doctor." Jack told him. "I kept tabs on them all day."

"Hey!" Lily said.

"Well, I thought I'd park the TARDIS in London for the night, so…" the Doctor said.

"No, first you're going to have dinner with me." Jack told them. "I never know when I'm going to see you two next, so I'm going to take advantage of the fact that I've got you here."

He walked off and Lily shrugged. They followed him.

They spent the night laughing with Jack and Lily fell quickly asleep when she got back to the TARDIS. The Doctor then spent the night watching her and worrying.

A/N: Partners in Crime is a pain in the _ass_ to write! Anyway, first chapter done. Review!

Abbey


	7. Partners in Crime: Coming Together

Disclaimer: I want the Doctor! Let me out of here! Hey, you! Yeah, you! Let me out. What do you mean they said I was dangerous?

Ch. 7:

Donna walked in the front door to be greeted by her mother's voice.

"And what time is this?" she called.

"How old am I?" Donna called back, rolling her eyes.

Sylvia came out into the front hall.

"Not old enough to use a phone." She shot back.

Donna ignored her and made a cup of tea, sitting down at the table while her mother bustled around the kitchen.

"I thought you were only moving back for a couple of weeks." She said. "Look at you, I mean you're never gonna find a flat, not while you're on the dole. And it's no god sitting there, dressed up, looking like you're jop hunting, you've got to do something! It's not like the 1980's, no one's unemployed these days except you! How long did that job with Health and Safety last? Two days, and then you walk out. 'I have other plans', well I've not seen them. And it's no good sitting there dreaming, no one's gonna come along with a magic wand and make your life all better."

"Where is Granddad?" Donna interrupted.

"Where do you think he is?" Sylvia asked. "Up the hill! He's always up the hill!"

* * *

Donna walked up the hill towards Wilf, who was sitting in a tin shed.

"Aye, aye." He called. "Here comes trouble. Ha."

"Permission to board ship, sir?" Donna called.

"Permission granted." He replied. "Was she nagging you?"

"Ha ha." Donna said. "Big time."

Wilf sat down on a folding chair in front of his telescope.

"Brought you a thermos." Donna told him.

"Oh, ta." He replied, taking it from her happily.

"You seen anything?" Donna asked.

"Yeah, I've got Venus." He told her. "There with an apparent magnitude of minus 3.5. At least that's what it says in my little book."

Donna pulled out a tarp and sat down next to him.

"Here," he said. "Come and see, come on, here you go."

Donna looked into the telescope and saw the planet of the goddess of love.

"Right?" Wilf said. "That's the only planet in the Solar System named after a woman."

"Good for her." Donna replied. "How far away is that?"

"Oh, it's about 26 million miles." Wilf told her. "But we'll get there one day. In a hundred years time we'll be striding out amongst the stars. Jiggling about with all them aliens. Just you wait."

"You really believe in all that stuff, don't you?" Donna asked him.

"It's all over the place these days." Wilf told her. "If I wait here long enough…"

"I don't suppose you've seen a little blue box?" Donna asked him.

"Is that slang for something?" he asked.

"No, I mean it." She told him, laughing. "If you ever see a little blue box flying up there in the sky, you shout for me, Gramps. Oh, you just shout."

"You know, I don't understand half the things you say these days." Wilf told her.

"Nor me." She agreed.

"Well, fair dues." He told her. "You've had a funny old time of it lately. There was poor old what's his name, Lance, bless him…and that barmy old Christmas. I wish you would tell us what really happened."

"I know." Donna said. "It's just…the things I've seen. Sometimes I think I'm going mad. I mean even tonight, I was in a…doesn't matter."

"Well you're not yourself, I'll give you that." Wilf said. "You just…you seem to be drifting, sweetheart."

"I'm not drifting." She told him. "I'm waiting."

"What for?" he asked.

"The right man." She answered.

"Oh, ho, ho!" he laughed. "Same old story! A man! Haha."

"No." she told him, chuckling. "I don't mean like that. But, he's real. I've seen him. I've met him, just once. And then…I let him fly away."

"Well there you are." He said. "Go and find him!"

"I've tired." She told him. "He's nowhere."

"Oi, not like you to give up." He said. "You know, remember when you were about six years old, your mother said no holiday this year. So off you toddled, all on your own and you got on a bus to Strathclyde! Hah! We had the police after you and everything! Ha, where's she gone then? Where's that girl, hey?"

"You're right." Donna said. "'Cause he's still out there, somewhere. Him and Lily. And I'll find them Gramps, even if I have to wait a hundred years. I'll find him."

They sat there in silence, just looking up at the stars.

* * *

The Doctor stood in the control room studying the Adipose pendent under a magnifying glass.

"Ohh, fascinating." He said to the empty room. "Seems to be a bio-flip digital stitch, specifically for…"

"Doctor?" he heard Lily call weakly from the door.

He turned to find her in her pajamas, looking worse for wear.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he walked quickly to her side.

"I don't feel good." She said softly.

He picked her up and brought her to the jump seat. He set her down gently.

"You're having a bad day." He told her. "We knew this might happen. It'll pass."

"Doesn't mean I don't feel like crap now." she said.

"I know." He said, smoothing her hair. "Do you want to go back to Jack?"

She shook her head and leaned forward to wrap her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her as she buried her face in his neck. She seemed so small.

"It's going to be alright." He told her softly. "I'll take care of you."

"I know." She replied.

He twisted so he was sitting on the jump seat next to her and held her until she went back to sleep.

* * *

Donna walked out and to the car with her mother trailing her in a dressing gown and hair curlers.

"It's my turn for the car." She told Donna. "What you need it for?"

Donna ignored her and got in, quickly starting it and pulling out.

"A quick getaway." She muttered.

She drove to an alley a few blocks from Adipose and parked the car.

* * *

"Go." Lily told him, standing in the door of the TARDIS, a cup of coffee in her hands. "I'm fine, I just had a bad night. I will stay here and rest, with both you and Jack, because I know you called him last night, just a phone call away. And if you need me, I will be ready to bail your ass out of the fire."

"Are you sure you don-"

"If you don't get out of here right this minute, I will pour this cup of coffee over your head, am I understood?" she told him.

He held up his hands and backed away.

"Watch out for the-"

He backed right into the parked car behind him.

"Car." Lily finished. "Please go away before you make me cry."

He smiled and turned and walked away.

* * *

Donna walked to the front of the building, through the revolving door, through the call center. She waved at the man from yesterday.

"Morning." she called.

She walked straight into the bathroom, went in the stall and sat down, looking at her watch.

* * *

The Doctor walked to the back of the building again and opened the fire exit. He walked down a corridor to a storage closet and used the sonic screwdriver to lock himself in.

_Well,_ he said silently, _this is boring._

_Didn't think this plan out very well, did we?_ Lily asked him.

* * *

The day passed and nine o'clock became six o'clock.

* * *

The Doctor unlocked the door and walked out.

* * *

Donna stood up and stretched. She opened the stall door and walked, when her phone began to ring. She quickly ducked back in and answered it.

"Not now!" she whispered.

"I need the car!" Sylvia told her. "Where are you?"

"I can't." Donna told her. "I'm busy."

"Why are you whispering?" she asked.

"I'm in church." Donna told her, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"What are you doing in church?" Sylvia asked.

"Praying!" she replied

"Bit late for that, madam." Her mother told her.

"What's she in church for?" Wilf called.

"Hush you. Go up the hill!" Sylvia told him. "But I need the car." She said, returning her attention to Donna. "I'm going out with Susette. She's asked all the Wednesday girls. Apparently she's been on those Adipose pills. She says looks marvelous."

The door of the bathroom opened and Donna quickly hung up.

"We know you're in here, so why don't you make this nice and easy and show yourself?" Miss Foster called.

Donna quickly pulled up her legs.

"I'm waiting." Foster called. "I warn you, I'm not a patient woman. Now, out you come."

Donna didn't move.

"Right." Foster said. "We'll do it the hard way. Get her!"

Foster's bodyguards began kicking in the doors. Donna flinched with every door as they got closer. Then they stopped.

"There you are." Foster said.

"I've been through the records, Foster, and all your results have been faked." Donna heard.

She identified the voice as a woman from the lecture the day before. Penny, she thought her name was.

"There's something about those pills you're not telling us." Penny continued.

"Oh, I think I'll be conducting this interview, Penny." Foster said.

They left and Donna waited a moment before following them.

* * *

The Doctor made his way to the roof and to a window cleaner's cradle.

_Are you sure that thing is safe?_ Lily asked him.

_Humans use it all the time._ He replied.

_Yeah, but you've said it yourself, humans are thick._ She told him._ Can't you just go listen through a door?_

_They'll never be looking for me this way. _He told her as he got in.

_I still say it's a bad plan. _Lily said.

_What else is new? _He asked.

He lowered it to the window of Foster's office and quickly ducked as she entered, her bodyguards dragging Penny after them.

"This is ridiculous." Penny protested.

"Sit there." Foster told her.

"I'm phoning my editor." Penny told her, ignoring the order.

"I said sit." Foster told her.

One of the bodyguards pushed her into the chair while the other tied her up.

"You can't tie me up." Penny told her. "What sort of a country do you think this is?"

"Oh, it's a beautifully fat country." Foster replied. "And believe me, I've traveled a long way to find obesity on this scale."

"So come on then, Miss Foster." Penny said. "Those pills, what are they?"

* * *

Donna sneaked up to the door and listened.

"Well, you might just as well have a scoop, since you'll never see it printed." Foster told Penny. "This," she lifted up a capsule, "is the spark of life."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Penny demanded.

"Officially, the capsule attracts all the fat cells and flushes them away." Foster told her. "Well, it certainly attracts them, that part's true. But it binds the fat together and galvanizes it to form a body."

"Well, what d'you mean 'a body'?" Penny asked.

"I am surprised you never asked about my name." Foster told her. "I chose it well. Foster, as in foster mother. And these,"

She reached into her desk and pulled out one of the white little beings.

"Are my children." She concluded.

"You're kidding me." Penny said. "What the hell is that?"

Donna rose up to look through the window.

* * *

The Doctor did the same.

"Adipose." Foster said. "It's called an Adipose. Made out of living fat. Stripped from ordinary human…"

The Doctor looked across the room and Donna did too.

_Oh. My. God. _Lily said.

'Donna?' the Doctor mouthed.

'Doctor!' Donna mouthed back.

_I love her. I love her. I love her. I love her. _Lily chanted in his head.

'But…what? Wha…what?' the Doctor said silently.

'OH MY GOD!' Donna exclaimed, just as silently.

'But…how?' he asked.

'It's me!' she said.

'Well, I can see that!' he replied.

'Oh, this is brilliant!' she exclaimed.

'But…what are you doing there?' he asked.

'I was looking for you!' she told him.

'What for?' he demanded.

Donna began to mime.

'I, came here, trouble, read about it, internet, I thought, trouble=you! And this place is weird! Pills! So I hid, back there. Crept along, heard this lot, looked, you! Cause they…'

Both she and the Doctor realized Foster had stopped talking.

"Are we interrupting you?" she asked them loudly.

'Run!' the Doctor mouthed.

"Get her!" Foster ordered.

The Doctor pointed the sonic screwdriver at the door, locking it, before using it to elevate the cradle back to the roof.

"And him!" Foster yelled.

* * *

Donna ran quickly up the stairs.

* * *

The Doctor got to the roof and quickly ran down the stairs.

Halfway down, he ran into Donna and grabbed her in a tight hug.

"Oh my God!" she said. "I don't believe it! You've even got the same suit!"

She pulled away.

"Don't you ever change?" she asked, aghast.

"Yeah, thanks Donna." The Doctor told her. "Not right now."

"But where's Lily?" Donna asked.

"Back in the TARDIS." He told her with a smile. "She's yelling at me to tell you she says hello and that she'll see you soon."

"How?" Donna asked.

"Mental Bond." He explained, looking down the stairs.

"Hi Lily!" she said waving in his face.

"Oh dear lord." He moaned as Lily laughed.

He looked back down and saw the guards coming.

"Just like old times!" he said, grabbing her hand and dragging her along.

A/N: Second chapter of Partners of Crime. Thank god the Doctor and Donna are together, because I don't think I could've taken much more of trying to write them apart. That is damn hard. Any hoo, let me know what you think. Also I would like to go back to the time when I was getting like six reviews a chapter instead of two. Not that I'm not appreciative of the two, I'm just kinda a review whore. They say the first step to recovering is admitting you have a problem. So, my name is Abbey and I'm a review addict. I am 0 days sober and I don't plan on changing that.

Abbey


	8. Partners in Crime: Joining Forces

Disclaimer: Day three of my captivity: They believe that I will break, but they are mistaken. I hold fast to the truth that my Doctor will come to save me. That or the drugs will kick in and I won't care. Whichever comes first.

Ch. 8:

The Doctor led Donna all the way up to the roof, and the whole way there she babbled. When they finally reached it, he went straight to the cradle and she kept talking.

"Cause I thought, how do I find the Doctor and Lily?" she said. "And then I just thought, look for trouble and then they'll turn up! So I looked everywhere. You name it-UFO sightings, crop circles, sea monsters. I looked, I found them all. Like all that stuff about the bees disappearing, I thought, I bet he's connected. 'Cause the thing is, Doctor, I believe it all now. You and Lily opened my eyes. All those amazing things out there, I believe them all. Well, apart from that replica of the Titanic flying over Buckingham Palace on Christmas Day, I mean that's gotta be a hoax!"

The Doctor finished what he was doing and turned to her.

"What d'you mean, the bees disappearing?" he asked.

"I don't know." Donna said. "That's what it says on the internet."

The Doctor shrugged, turned and got in the cradle.

"Well on the same site, there was all the conspiracy theories about Adipose Industries, I thought, let's take a look!" she continued.

"In you get!" the Doctor told her.

"What, in that thing?" she asked.

"Yes, in that thing!" he answered.

"But if we go down in that, they'll just call us back up again." Donna pointed out.

"No, no, no, 'cause I've locked the controls with a sonic cage." He told her. "I'm the only one who can control it. Not unless she's got a sonic device of her own, which is very unlikely."

She got in and he lowered it down the side.

"Uh, Doctor?" Donna said, pointing up.

There stood Miss Foster.

"Oh, I don't think so." She called to them.

She pointed what looked to be a pen at the controls and the cradle began to accelerate.

_She's got a sonic device._ Lily said, getting dressed. _How come she gets a sonic device and I don't?_

_Not the moment, Lily!_

The Doctor pointed the sonic screwdriver, stopping the cradle and throwing them to the floor. They stood up and the Doctor pointed his screwdriver at the window in front of them.

"Hold on." He told Donna. "Hold on, we can get in through the window."

"Deadlock the building." They heard Foster call.

"Can't get it open!" the Doctor said.

Donna grabbed a wrench and held it up.

"Well smash it then!" she said, swinging the wrench.

It bounced.

There was a flash of gold, and Lily appeared on the other side of the window.

"Don't mind me." She said. "Just your friendly neighborhood Phoenix to the rescue."

She smiled but the Doctor could tell she was in pain.

Suddenly the cable began to spark and smoke.

"Cutting the cable!" Donna called.

"Open the window!" the Doctor called.

The cable broke and the Doctor managed to hold on to the other, but Donna fell out, grabbing the broken cable as she fell and holding on for dear life.

"Donna!" the Doctor and Lily yelled.

"Hold on!" the Doctor called.

"I AM!" she yelled.

The Doctor tried to pull her up, but he couldn't.

"Doctor!" Donna yelled.

"And now, for the other one." Foster said.

She pointed the sonic device at the second cable, but the Doctor pointed the screwdriver at it and it began to spark in her hand, causing her to drop it. The Doctor caught it as it fell.

"Open the window." He told Lily.

She laid her hand on the window and a few moments later it was a pile of dust. She helped him through the window and he handed her the sonic pen.

"Here." He said. "Have a gift. Your very own sonic device."

"Ooh, shiny." She said, studying it as she followed him.

* * *

"I'm gonna fall!" Donna shouted.

Her feet were dangling in front of the window to Foster's office.

"What the hell is going on?" Penny demanded.

"This is all your fault!" Donna shouted to the Doctor, who could no longer hear her. "I should've stayed at home!"

"Oh, please, you know you're having fun!" Lily called as they ran in to the office.

She ran to the window and did the same to it as the one upstairs.

"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?" Penny demanded.

"What, you're a journalist?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes." She replied.

"Well, make it up!" he told her.

He walked to the window and tried to grab Donna's legs.

"Get off!" she yelled.

"It's us, babe!" Lily yelled, leaning out the window. "Stop kicking!"

She stilled and the Doctor managed to pull her inside.

Lily quickly pulled her into a tight hug.

"Oh my god!" Lily gushed. "It's great to see you! How have you been?"

"Oh, you know." Donna replied. "Same old, same old. Spent a lot of time looking for you two. I tried to call, but your phone didn't work."

"I know." Lily said. "It broke. I had to get a new one."

"Seriously?" the Doctor interrupted. "You want to do this now?"

"I was right." Donna said, rounding on him. "It's always like this with you, innit?"

"Oh yes!" he replied, grinning. He grabbed Lily's hand. "And off we go!"

They ran to the door.

"Oi!" Penny yelled.

The Doctor popped back through the door.

"Sorry." He told her.

He pointed the sonic screwdriver and the ropes fell away before running off again. And then coming back again.

"Now do yourself a favor." The Doctor told her. "Get out."

* * *

The three of them ran across the call center to be confronted by Miss Foster and her two goons.

"Well then," she said, taking off her glasses, "at last."

"Hello." Donna said.

"Nice to meet you," the Doctor said. "I'm the Doctor."

"Hola, I'm Lily." She said, waving at her happily.

"And I'm Donna." The red head said.

"Partners in crime." Foster said. "And evidently off worlders, judging by your sonic technology."

"Oh yes, Lily's still got your sonic pen." He said, holding out his hand. Lily reluctantly gave it to him. "Nice, I like it. Sleek, it's kinda sleek."

He showed it to Donna.

"Oh, it's definitely sleek." Donna agreed.

"I liked it better when I had it." Lily groused.

"Shh." The Doctor told her.

He turned back to Foster.

"Yeah, and if you were to sign your real name, that would be…?" he asked.

"Matron Cofelia of the Five-Straighten Classbindi Nursery Fleet." She said. "Intergalactic Class."

"A wet nurse." The Doctor said. "Using humans as surrogates."

"I've been employed by the Adiposian First Family to foster a new generation after their breeding planet was lost." She told him.

"What do you mean lost?" Lily asked. "How do you lose a planet?"

"Oh, politics are none of my concern." Foster said. "I'm just here to take care of the children on behalf of the parents."

"What, like an outer space super-nanny?" Donna asked.

"Yes, if you like." She replied.

"So…so those little things," Donna said, trying to understand. "They're, they're made out of fat, yeah, but that woman, Stacy Campbell, there was nothing left of her."

"Oh, in a crisis, the Adipose can convert bone and hair and internal organs." Foster told her. "Makes them a little bit sick, poor things."

"What about poor Stacy?" Donna demanded.

"Seeding a level 5 planet is against galactic law." The Doctor interrupted.

"Are you threatening me?" Foster asked.

"We're trying to help you, Matron." The Doctor told her. "This is your one chance; 'cause if you don't call this off, then we'll have to stop you."

"I hardly think you can stop bullets." Foster replied.

"Um," Lily said, raising her hand. "Actually, I can."

"Hold on." The Doctor said. "Hold on, hold on, hold on, one more thing before we test Lily's shielding capabilities. Do you know what happens if you hold two identical sonic devices against each other?"

"No." Foster said after a pause.

"Nor me." The Doctor said with a grin. "Let's fine out!"

He pointed the two devices at each other and turned them on. The resulting noise caused everyone to try to block it out.

Finally, Donna shoved the Doctor, making him stop.

"Come on!" she said.

The three ran off.

* * *

They ran down a deserted corridor until they arrived at a storage cupboard. The Doctor quickly opened it and started throwing things out.

"Well, that's one solution." Donna said. "Hide in a cupboard. I like it."

The Doctor made it the back of the cupboard and revealed a big green machine built into the wall.

"Hacking into this thing." The Doctor replied. "'Cause the matron's got a computer core running through the center of the building. Triple deadlocked. And now I've got this."

He held up the sonic pen.

"I can get into it." He said.

Lily leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, when he glanced at her.

"Sit." He said, pointing at a bucket. "Preferably before you pass out."

She glared at him, but when she moved, she stumbled, gasping. Donna quickly grabbed her and helped her to the bucket. She wrapped her arms around herself, shaking slightly.

"What's wrong?" Donna asked.

Lily smiled tightly.

"It's nothing." She told her friend. "I'll explain later."

Donna glanced at the Doctor, who was gripping the pen tightly, but didn't turn around.

"She's wired up the whole building." He said, fiddling with some cables. "We need a bit of privacy."

He held two wires together and sent an electric current through the walls and to the arch the two goons were walking through.

"Just enough to stop them." The Doctor said.

Lily leaned out the door to look at the two smoking men.

"Yeah, I think you overestimated that." She told him.

"Why's she wired up the tower block?" the Doctor asked. "What's it all for?"

"Inducer online." The computer said as he messed with some more cables.

"You look older." Donna said from where she was kneeling in front of Lily. "You both do."

"Thanks." Lily said sarcastically.

"Are you still on your own?" she asked them.

"Yup." The Doctor answered. "Well, no, we had this friend, Martha she was called. Martha Jones. She was brilliant…and I destroyed half her life."

"I think was a joint effort." Lily said humorlessly.

"But she's fine." The Doctor continued. "She's good. She's gone."

"What about Rose?" Donna asked.

"Still lost." He replied.

"And what's the deal with you two?" she asked.

Lily grinned and winked at her while the Doctor stared resolutely forward.

"I thought you were going to travel the world." He said finally.

"Easier said than done." Donna replied. "It's like I had that one day with you and I was gonna change. I was gonna do so much. Then I woke up next morning, same old life. It's like you were never there. And I tried. I did try, I went to Egypt. I was gonna go barefoot and everything. And then it's all bus trips and guidebooks and don't drink the water and two weeks later you're back home. It's nothing like being with you two. I must have been mad turning down that offer."

"What offer?" the Doctor asked.

"To come with you." Donna replied.

"You'd come with me?" he asked, confused.

"Oh, yes please!" she replied.

"Yay!" Lily said, leaping up to hug her friend.

The Doctor just stood there.

_When did I lose control? _He asked.

_Oh, a long, long time ago._ Lily replied happily.

"Inducer activated." The computer said.

"What's it doing now?" Donna asked as she and Lily moved to stand on either side of the Doctor.

"She's started the program." The Doctor told them.

"That's bad." Lily stated.

"So far they're just losing weight." The Doctor said. "But the Matron has gone up to emergency pathogenesis."

"That's when they convert…" Lily said, trailing off, feeling sick.

"Skeletons, organs, everything." The Doctor finished. "A million people are gonna die."

"Well, cancel the signal." Lily said.

"Thanks, because I hadn't thought of that." He replied.

"Hey." She said. "Don't get snippy with me."

He glared at her and quickly pulled out the Adipose pendent, opening it to reveal a computer chip.

"This contains the primary signal." He told them. "If I can switch it off, the fat goes back to being just fat."

"Instead of creepy little white things." Lily concluded.

He hooked the chip into the machine.

For a second it looked like it was going to work.

"Inducer increasing." The computer announced.

"No, no, no, no, no." the Doctor yelled. "She's doubled it. I need...Haven't got time! It's too far, I can't override it! They're all gonna die!"

"What do you need?" Lily asked.

"Is there anything I can do?" Donna asked.

"Sorry, Donna, this is way beyond you!" the Doctor told her. "Gotta double the base pulse, I can't…"

"Doctor." Lily said calmly, making him look at her. "Calm down and tell me what you need."

"I need a second capsule to boost the override." He told her, slightly calmer. "But I've only got the one. I can't save them!"

Donna held a gold pendent between them, making both of them look at her in shock. The Doctor burst out laughing as he took it from her. Lily hugged her as he plugged it into the machine. All the lights turned off.

A loud horn sounded.

"Oh come on." Lily whined.

"What the hell was that?" Donna asked.

The Doctor flipped on the screen.

"Fine." Donna said, looking at it. "When you say nursery you don't mean a crèche in Notting Hill."

"Nursery ship." The Doctor said.

The computer lit up.

"Incoming signal." It said.

"Hadn't we better go and stop them?" Lily asked. "Granted, if you wanted to just stay here, that'd be okay too."

"Hang on." The Doctor said, ignoring her. "Instructions from the Adiposian First Family."

He listened for a moment.

"She's wired up the tower block to convert it into a levitation post." The Doctor said.

"Is that saying what I think it saying?" Lily asked.

"Oh." The Doctor said. "Ooh. We're not the ones in trouble now. SHE is!"

They ran out the door, straight up to the roof.

A/N: Partners in Crime part 3. Almost done! I love you all for the review! I am hugging you all in my mind. Keep it up! It makes me happy, and a happy writer is always better than the alternative. I could always blow them all up in the next chapter. I won't, but I could. Just keep that in mind. So you know the drill. Press the button. Do it now. Seriously, stop reading and do it. DO IT!

Abbey


	9. Partners in Crime: Leaving Home

Disclaimer: Ooh, look at all the pretty lights. Though that giant elephant is kind of freaking me out.

Ch. 9:

They made it to the roof and watched as the Adipose babies flew up to the ships that had appeared in the sky.

"What you gonna do, then?" Donna asked. "Blow them up?"

"They're just children." The Doctor replied. "They can't help where they come from."

"Oh, that makes a change from last time." She said. "That Martha must've done you good."

"She did." Lily said, smiling.

"She fancied me." The Doctor chimed in.

"Mad Martha, that one." Donna said, grinning. "Blind Martha. Charity Martha."

"Hey!" Lily said, also grinning. "No knocking my mate. Even if you have a point."

The Doctor groaned.

An Adipose waved at them and they waved back.

"I'm waving at _fat_." Donna marveled.

"Actually, as a diet plan, it sort of works." The Doctor said.

"She should have gone to the States." Lily said. "They probably would've approved it even if they had know what it was doing."

"There she is!" the Doctor said, pointing.

They ran to the edge and watched as Foster rose into the air and paused when she was the same height.

"Matron Cofelia, listen to me!" the Doctor yelled.

"Oh, I don't think so, Doctor." She replied. "And if I never see you again, it will be too soon."

"Oh, why does no one ever listen?" the Doctor whined. "I'm trying to help! Just get across to the roof. Can you shift the levitation beam?"

"What?" she asked. "So you can arrest me?"

"Just listen." He told her. "I saw the Adiposian instruction-they know it's a crime, breeding on Earth. So what's the one thing they want to get rid of? Their accomplice!"

"I'm far more than that." Foster replied. "I'm nanny to all these children."

All the Adipose had reached the ships now, leaving only the Matron.

"Exactly!" Lily called. "Mom and Dad don't need the nanny now that they've got the kids!"

Suddenly, the blue light holding the Matron in the air vanished. She hung in the air for a moment before falling down to the ground. Donna hid her face in the Doctor's shoulder and Lily closed her eyes as the Doctor looked on.

They looked up to see the Adipose waving as the ship left.

* * *

Down on the streets, there were sirens, an ambulance, and police tape.

The Doctor led the two women down through it, lost in though. He tossed the sonic pen in the trash and Lily yelped.

"Like the thing I need is you running around with a sonic pen." He told her.

"I hate you." She said glaring at him.

"Sure you do." He said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

She glared at him, but didn't shrug him off.

"Oi!" a voice called. "You three!"

They turned to find Penny walking out, still tied to the chair.

"You're just mad." She said. "Do you hear me? Mad! And I'm gonna report you…for madness!"

They watched as she waddled away.

"You see?" Donna said. "Some people just can't take it."

"No." the Doctor agreed.

"But some people can." She added. "So, then-TARDIS! Come on!"

She wrapped her arm through Lily's and they walked off, laughing.

The Doctor stared after them for a moment before shaking his head and following.

* * *

They walked into the alley and Donna ran to her car.

"That's my car!" she said. "That is like destiny! And I've been ready for this."

She opened the trunk and the Doctor and Lily saw it was full of suitcases.

"I packed ages ago, just in case." She told them. "'Cause I thought, hot weather, cold weather, no weather…"

Lily laughed as she began loading the luggage into the arms of a very stunned Doctor.

"…they go anywhere, I've gotta be prepared." She said.

"A hat box?" Lily laughed as she put it on top of the pile.

"Planet of the Hats, I'm ready!" Donna replied.

Lily laughed even harder.

"I'm gonna go call Jack." She said, trying to regain control. "I want to say goodbye before we leave."

The Doctor nodded and started piling the bags on the ground.

Lily took one last look before walking away, still laughing.

"Do I need injections though, do I?" Donna asked, oblivious to the fact that the Doctor was very serious. "Like when you go to Cambodia, is there any of that? 'Cause my friend Venna went Bahrain, and…you're not saying much."

"No, it's just…" The Doctor trailed off. "It's a funny old life, in the TARDIS."

"You don't want me." She said quietly.

"No, I'm not saying that." He said. "In fact, I think Lily would probably beat me to death if I tried to stop you from coming, it's just, last time, with Martha. It got complicated. And it was all my fault." He took a deep breath. "I just want a mate."

"You just want TO MATE?" Donna said, disgustedly.

"Something you want to tell me, love?" Lily asked as she walked up.

"I said A mate!" he protested.

"You're not mating with me, sunshine!" Donna told him.

"A mate!" he yelled. "I want A mate!"

"Well just as well." Donna told him. "Because I'm not having any of that nonsense. That maybe fine for Lily, but you're just a long streak of…nothing. You know, alien nothing."

Lily was cracking up again.

"There we are then." The Doctor said. "Okay."

"I can come?" Donna asked.

"That wasn't ever in question." Lily said, glaring at the Doctor.

"I'd love it." The Doctor said, grinning at Donna and wrapping his arms around Lily's waist.

"Car keys!" Donna said suddenly.

"What?" the Doctor asked, surprised.

"I've still got my mum's car keys!" she told him. "I won't be a minute!"

She ran off.

"I love her." Lily said, laughing.

She glanced at the luggage and back at the Doctor.

"Well?" she said.

"What?" he asked.

"Haven't I explained the role of the male to you?" she said, pointing to the bags.

He sighed and began to move them.

* * *

Donna walked back onto the crowded street, talking on her phone.

"I know Mum, I saw it." She said. "Little fat people. Listen, I've got to go. I'm going to stay with Veena for a bit."

"…it was in the sky!" Sylvia said.

"Yeah, I know." Donna told her. "Spaceship. But, I've still got the car keys. Look. There's a bin on Brook Street, about thirty feet from the corner, I'm going to leave them in there."

She threw the keys in the trash.

"What?" Sylvia asked. "A bin?"

"Yes, that's it, a bin." Donna replied.

"You can't do that." Her mom told her.

"Oh, stop complaining." Donna told her. "The car's just down the road a bit. Got to go, really got to go. Bye."

"But Donna, you can't-"

Donna hung up the phone.

She spotted a group of people standing by a fence and ran up to a blonde woman in a purple leather jacket.

"Listen." She told her. "There is this woman that's going to come along, a tall blonde woman called Sylvia. Tell her that bin there."

She pointed out the right one.

"Right, it'll all make sense." Donna told her. "That bin there."

She turned and walked away and the blonde woman turned back around. She was shortly joined by a tall man with a large nose and large ears in a black leather jacket. She glanced at him and turned and walked away with him.

Then they disappeared.

* * *

Lily turned and looked at the end of the alley.

"What is it?" the Doctor asked, pausing as he loaded up the TARDIS.

"I thought…" Lily said softly.

She shook her head and turned back to him.

"It's nothing." She told him.

She grabbed the last bag and followed him inside.

A few minutes later, Donna walked into the TARDIS to find The Doctor standing in front of the console and Lily leaning behind him.

"Off we go, then!" she said.

"Here it is, the TARDIS." The Doctor told her. "It's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside…"

"Oh, I know that bit." Donna interrupted. "Although frankly, you could turn the heat up."

Lily leaned over and flicked a switch.

"Better?" she asked as the air got warmer.

"Thanks." Donna said.

"So, whole wide universe," the Doctor said, moving around the console, "where do you want to go?"

"Oh, I know exactly the place." She replied.

"Which is?" Lily asked.

"Two and a half miles, that way." She said, pointing.

* * *

Wilf was on the hill again, looking through his telescope, when he suddenly froze. Above him was a little flying blue box.

"There!" he said. "Donna! It's…it's the flying blue box!"

He looked through the telescope and saw Donna waving from the open doors of the TARDIS.

"Huh-what?" he asked. "That's Donna! Yeah, that's Donna!"

Standing behind Donna was the Doctor, with his arm around Lily, both of them waving.

"And that's them!" he yelled. "That's them! Hey! That's him! Ha-ha-ha! Go on girl! Go on, get up there! Hey!"

He did a little dance as the TARDIS flew away.

* * *

The Doctor closed the doors as Lily and Donna sat down on the jump seat.

"So," Lily said. "First we get you settled, then we have a little bit of story time."

"Lily." The Doctor said.

"No." Lily replied. "We messed up last time by not being honest with Martha. This time we tell Donna everything up front."

The Doctor sighed, knowing there was no arguing with her.

So they got her a room and moved all her stuff in and then they went to the kitchen and sat down.

They told her everything. They told her about the Time War and meeting Rose. They told her about traveling and losing Rose. They told her about the other universe. They told her about everything that led to Lily being sent to this universe. They told her about Martha and the Master and the Year that Never Was.

She cried when they told her about the damage to Lily's body and the how much time was left.

"That's everything." Lily told her, holding her hand tightly. "No secrets."

"I'm not sure I wanted to know all that." Donna told her.

"We know." The Doctor replied. "But traveling with us can be dangerous, and knowing the score can help."

Donna nodded and yawned.

"Why don't you get some sleep." Lily said. "We can finish tomorrow."

Donna nodded.

"Good night." She said as she stood and left.

"You should get some sleep too." The Doctor told Lily.

"I know." She replied.

She stood and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you for bring her along." She whispered.

"You're welcome." He replied.

She kissed him softly.

"Good night." She said.

"G'night." He replied.

She smiled and walked out.

He leaned back in his seat and smiled.

Things were looking good for now.

A/N: Partners in Crime is done! Let me know what you think!

Abbey


	10. Fires of Pompeii: Primus

Disclaimer: Lily says if you don't give me Doctor Who, she'll atomize you. So there.

Ch. 10:

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and pushed back a curtain.

"Ancient Rome." He announced, stepping out into a street with market stalls everywhere. "Well, not to them, obviously. To them, for all intents and purposes, right now…this is brand new Rome."

"Oh my god." Donna said as she stepped out, Lily following after her and closing the TARDIS door. "It's…it's so Roman. This is fantastic!"

She hugged him and then Lily.

"I'm here…in Rome." She said in wonder. "Donna Noble in Rome."

She walked down the street a little ways.

"This is just weird." She said, turning back to them. "I mean, everyone here is dead."

"Well, don't go telling them that." The Doctor told her.

Donna looked around and rounded back on them.

"Hold on a minute." She said. "That sign over there is in English. Are you having me on? Are we in Epcot?"

"It's the TARDIS." Lily explained with a laugh. "She translates languages for you. She just makes it look like English…speech as well. She automatically translates into the predominate language. Like right now, we're all speaking Latin."

"Seriously?" Donna asked.

"Yep." Lily replied.

"I just said 'seriously' in Latin." She said.

"Oh yeah." The Doctor replied.

Donna laughed happily as they wandered down the street.

"What if I said something in actual Latin?" Donna asked. "Like 'veni, vidi, vici'? My dad said that when he came back from football. If I said 'veni, vidi, vici' to that lot, what would it sound like?"

"I'm not sure." The Doctor said. "You have to think of difficult questions, don't you?"

"Of course she does." Lily said. "She's awesome."

"I'm gonna try it." Donna told them.

Donna walked up to a stallholder, glancing back at the Doctor and Lily, who was egging her on.

"Hello, sweetheart." The man said. "What can I get for you, my love?"

"Veni, vidi, vici." Donna said.

The man stared at her.

"Huh? Sorry?" he said, holding up his hands. "Me no speak Celtic." He said loudly. "No can do, missy."

"Yeah." Donna replied.

She walked back to Lily and the Doctor.

"What does he mean 'Celtic'?" she asked.

"Welsh." The Doctor answered. "You sound Welsh. There we are. That's something."

"Won't our clothes look a bit odd?" Donna asked as they walked on.

"Nah." The Doctor told her. "Ancient Rome, anything goes. It's like Soho…but bigger."

"You've been here before then?" she asked.

No one noticed the young woman dressed in red, following them.

"Hm, ages ago." The Doctor told her. "Before you ask, that fire had nothing to do with me."

"It totally did." Lily interrupted. "Maybe this time we will think before handing a violin to the Emperor and offering to teach him to play, yes?"

"Oh, shut it." He told her good naturedly. "Maybe I had a little bit to do with it, but it wasn't my fault. And I didn't get the chance to look around properly. Coliseum…Pantheon…Circus Maximus…You'd expect them to be looming by now. Where is everything?"

He stopped and looked around.

"Try this way." He said, leading them off. He ignored the look the girls exchanged before following.

They walked into a larger street and Donna stopped.

"I'm not an expert, but there are Seven Hills of Rome, aren't there?" she asked. "How come they've only got one?"

The Doctor and Lily turned and stared at the mountain as the ground began to shake.

"Here we go again!" a man called.

People ran to hold items in place and to get out of the way of debris.

"You are so dead." Lily told the Doctor. "Why can't you learn to drive properly?"

"Wait a minute!" Donna said. "One mountain…with smoke…which makes this…"

"Pompeii." The Doctor finished. "We're in Pompeii…and it's Volcano Day!"

* * *

The three ran back through the streets to the alcove where they had left the TARDIS, only to find it gone.

"You're kidding." Donna said. "Don't tell me the TARDIS is gone."

"Okay." The Doctor answered.

"Where is it then?" she demanded.

"You told me not to tell you." The Doctor replied.

"Don't get clever in Latin." Donna ordered.

"Hey, you!" Lily yelled to the man Donna had talked to earlier. "Shop boy. Where's the box? Big, blue, and wooden, just over there. Where's it gone?"

"Sold it, didn't I?" he answered smugly.

"I don't remember selling it to you, so where do you get off selling it to someone else?" Lily demanded.

_You're not allowed to kill him._ The Doctor told her.

_How 'bout maim?_ She asked. _Can I maim him? I promise to leave him alive._ She suddenly sobered. _Not that it would matter much._

"It was on my patch, wasn't it?" the other man replied, rubbing his hands together. "I got 15 sesterce for it. Lovely jubbly."

"Who did you sell it to?" the Doctor asked before Lily could say a word.

"Old Caecilius." The man answered. "Look…if you want to argue, why don't you take it up with him? He's on Foss Street. Big villa can't miss it."

"Thanks." The Doctor said, pulling Lily away.

They walked away, but then he stopped and turned back to the man, confused.

"What did he buy a big, blue wooden box for?"

* * *

They met back up with Donna in the street.

"Ha!" the Doctor said. "We've got it! Foss Street, this way!"

"No, I've found this big sort of amphitheatre I think…" Donna told him. "We can start there. We can get everyone together. Then maybe they've got a great, big bell or something we could ring. Have they invented bells yet?"

"What do you want a bell for?" the Doctor asked, confused.

"To warn everyone!" she told him. "To start the evacuation! What time does Vesuvius erupt? When's it due?"

"It's 79 AD, 23 of August." The Doctor told her seriously.

"Tomorrow." Lily added. "Vesuvius erupts tomorrow."

"Plenty of time." Donna said. "We can get everyone out easy."

"Except we're not going to." The Doctor told her, grabbing her hand and trying to pull her along, but she stayed put.

"But that's what you do." Donna told him. "You're the Doctor. You save people."

"It's not that simple." Lily told her gently.

"The hell it isn't." Donna replied.

"Look." The Doctor told her. "Pompeii is a fixed point in history. What happens, happens. There is no stopping it."

He tried to mover her again.

"Says who?" she demanded.

"Says me." The Doctor replied.

"What, and you're in charge?" she asked.

"TARDIS, Time Lord…yeah." He answered.

"Donna, human…no!" she shot back. "I don't need your permission. I'll tell them myself."

"They'll never believe you." Lily told her.

"They'll just think you're a mad old soothsayer." The Doctor added. "Now, come on. TARDIS, we are getting out of here."

Donna ignored him and stormed off.

"Well, I just might have something to say about that, spaceman!" she shouted back over her shoulder.

"Oh, I bet you will!" he shouted back.

He glanced over and saw Lily smiling.

"What?" he demanded.

She quickly hid her smile.

"Nothing." She replied. "I'll just go round her up, shall I? Yeah."

Without another word she went off in search of Donna.

They still didn't see the woman following them.

* * *

The ground began to shake again as they walked up to the house they were looking for.

"Positions!" an older man yelled.

The Doctor walked forward and quickly caught a marble bust before it hit the ground.

"Whoa!" he said, gently hitting the bust's cheeks. "There you go."

"Thank you, kind sir." The man said. "I'm afraid business is closed for the day. I'm expecting a visitor."

"Oh, that's me." The Doctor said, leaning forward to shake the man's hand. "I'm a visitor. Hello."

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"I am…Spartacus." The Doctor said.

"And so am I." Donna said.

Lily groaned and hid her face in her hand.

"Mr. and Mrs. Spartacus?" the man said, "And your daughter, I presume?"

"Oh no!" the Doctor said quickly.

"Not together." Donna added.

"Oh, then, brother and sister?" the man asked. "Yes, of course. You look very much alike."

"Really?" the Doctor and Donna said together, looking at each other.

"I'm Lily." Lily said, stepping forward. "And don't mind them, they're slow. Family sickness."

"Ah." The man said compassionately.

The Doctor poked her while Donna slapped her arm.

"I'm sorry." The man said. "But I'm not open for trade."

"And what trade would that be?" the Doctor asked.

"Marble." The man said. "Lucius Caecilius. Mining, polishing and design thereof. If you want marble, I'm your man."

"That's good." The Doctor told him. "That's good, 'cause I'm the marble inspector."

_Really?_ Lily asked as he held up the psychic paper. _That was the best you could come up with?_

_On short notice? Yes._ He answered. _And you're not very nice._

_Never claimed to be. _Lily replied with a smile.

"By the gods of commerce, an inspection." A woman said, quickly taking a cup from a boy who looked to be her son. "I'm sorry, sir. I do apologize for my son."

She poured the drink into the pool, causing the boy to yelp.

"This is my good wife, Metella." Caecilius told them. "I-I must confess, we're not prepared for a-"

"Nothing to worry about." The Doctor interrupted. "I-I'm sure you've got nothing to hide. Although frankly, that object…rather looks like wood to me."

He walked to the TARDIS, which was in the corner of the room, Lily and Donna following.

"I told you to get rid of it!" they heard Metella hiss at Caecilius.

"I only bought it today." He told them.

"Ah, well." The Doctor replied. "Caveat emptor."

"Oh, you're Celtic." Caecilius said. "That's lovely."

"I'm sure it's fine but I might have to take it off your hands for a proper inspection." The Doctor said, motioning towards the TARDIS.

"Although, while we're here, wouldn't you recommend a holiday, Spartacus?" Donna said.

"I don't know what you mean, Spartacus." The Doctor replied, glaring at her.

"Oh, this lovely family, mother and father and son…" Donna said, glaring right back. "Don't you think they should get out of town?"

"Why would we do that?" Caecilius asked.

The Doctor rubbed his eye as Donna tried to explain.

"Well, the volcano for starters." She said.

"What?" Caecilius asked.

"Volcano." Donna repeated.

"What-ano?" Caecilius asked.

"The great big volcano right on your doorstep." Donna told him.

"Hey, why don't we go over here?" Lily said, dragging Donna away. "We haven't greeted the household gods yet."

She pulled Donna over to the shrine while the Doctor looked around.

"Stop it." Lily told her quietly. "They don't know what you're talking about. Vesuvius is just a mountain as far as they know. The top hasn't exploded yet."

Lily gently sprinkled the shrine with water.

"There isn't a word for volcano yet." She continued. "And there won't be until tomorrow."

"Oh, great." Donna said sarcastically. "They can learn a new word…when they die."

"Stop it." Lily told her.

"How can you be okay with this?" Donna demanded. "I know you. There is no way you're okay with that boy…how old is he? Sixteen? How can you be okay with the fact that, tomorrow, he burns to death?"

"Because there's nothing we can do!" Lily hissed back. "History has to take this course. As much as I hate it, tomorrow he and everyone he knows has to burn and suffocate to death. That is the way it has to be. So stop yelling at me and stop yelling at the Doctor. It's not our fault."

"Right now it is!" Donna told her.

They stopped arguing as a servent entered the room.

"Announcing Lucius Petrus Dextrus, Chief Augur of the city government." He said.

A older man strode in. He was well dressed with a very nice cloak draped over his right side.

"Lucius." Caecilius said, stepping forward. "My pleasure as always."

Lily and Donna walked over to join the Doctor, curious.

"Quintus, stand up." Metella hissed.

Lily chuckled as he did as he was told, but not without a long-suffering sigh.

"A rare and great honor, sir," Caecilius said, "for you to come to my house."

Caecilius held out his hand, but Lucius ignored it.

"The birds are flying north…and the wind is in the west." He announced.

"Right." Caecilius said, confused. "Absolutely. That's good, is it?"

"Only the grain of wheat knows where it will grow." Lucius replied.

"There now, Metella." Caecilius said. "Have you ever heard such wisdom?"

"Never." She replied. "It's an honor."

"Pardon me, sir." Caecilius said. "I have guests. This is Spartacus, Lily, and, uh, Spartacus."

The three waved.

"A name is but a cloud upon a summer wind." Lucius told them.

"But the wind is felt most keenly in the dark." The Doctor replied.

"Oh great." Lily muttered. "A 'Let's see who can sound more insane' contest."

"Ah!" Lucius said, not hearing her. "What is the dark, other than an omen of the sun?"

"I concede that every sun must set…" the Doctor said.

"Ha!" Lucius interjected.

"…and yet the son of the father must also rise." The Doctor concluded.

"Damn." Lucius said. "Very clever, sir. Evidently a man of learning."

"Oh yes, but don't mind me." The Doctor told him. "Don't want to disturb the status quo."

"He's Celtic." Caecilius whispered to Lucius.

"We'll be off in a minute." The Doctor told them.

He took Donna arm and he and Lily began pulling her towards the TARDIS.

"I'm not going." She told them quietly.

"It's ready, sir." Caecilius told Lucius.

"You've got to." The Doctor told her.

"Well I'm not." Donna replied.

"The moment of revelation." Caecilius announced as he pulled the cover off a piece of stone. "And here it is…"

The Doctor glanced over his shoulder at the piece.

"Exactly as you specified." Caecilius said. "It pleases you, sir?"

Lily stopped and made the Doctor look at the stone.

"Is that what it looks like?" she asked quietly.

"As the rain pleases the soil." Lucius told Caecilius, studying the stone.

The Doctor exchanged a look with Lily before rejoining them.

"Oh now, that's….different." he said. "Who designed that then?"

"My lord Lucius was very specific." Caecilius told him.

"Where'd you get the pattern?" Lily asked.

"On the rain and mist and wind." Lucius replied vaguely.

"Well that looks like a circuit." Donna said.

"Made of stone." The Doctor agreed.

"Do you mean to say that just came to you?" Lily demanded. "Like in a dream?"

"That is my job…" Lucius told her. "As City Augur."

"What's that then," Donna asked, "like the mayor?"

"Oh, ah, you must excuse our friend." The Doctor told them. "She's from…Barcelona."

"This is a superstitious time." Lily told her quickly and quietly. "Official superstition. An augur is paid by the city to tell the future. 'The wind will blow from the west.' That's the equivalent of the 10:00 news."

A young girl entered the room. She didn't look at all well.

"They're laughing at us." She said, nodding to the three of them. "Those three, they use words like tricksters. They're mocking us."

"No, I'm sorry." Lily said quickly. "I meant no offence."

"I'm sorry." Metella told them. "MY daughter's been consuming the vapors."

She quickly walked to her daughter.

"By the gods, Mother!" Quintus exclaimed. "What have you been doing to her?"

"Not now, Quintus." Caecilius said.

"But she's sick." Quintus protested. "Just look at her."

"I gather I have a rival in this household." Lucius said. "Another with the gift."

"Oh, she's been promised to the Sybiline Sisterhood." Metella said proudly. "They say she has remarkable visions."

"The prophecies of women are limited and dull." Lucius said dismissively. "Only the men folk have the capacity for true perception."

"I'll tell you where the wind's blowing right now, mate." Donna said.

"I've got some prophecy for him." Lily agreed with a grin.

The ground shook.

"The mountain god marks your words." Lucius told them, glaring at the two woman. "I'd be careful if I were you."

"Consuming the vapors, you say?" the Doctor asked before the woman could insult the man further.

"They give me strength." The girl told him.

"It doesn't look like it to me." The Doctor replied.

"Is that your opinion…as a doctor?" she asked.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked.

"Doctor." She replied. "That's your name."

"How did you know that?" he asked, bewildered.

"And you, you call yourself noble. And the golden Lily of the field." she continued.

"Now then, Evelina, don't be rude." Metella rebuked.

"No." Lily said. "Let her talk."

"You all come from so far away." Evelina said.

"A female soothsayer is inclined to invent all sorts of vagaries." Lucius said, dismissively.

"Oh, not this time, Lucius." The Doctor said. "I reckon you've been out-soothsaid."

"Is that so…man from Gallifrey? The home of you and your mate."

"What?" Lily demanded.

"Strangest of images." He continued. "Your home is lost in fire, is it not?"

"Doctor, what are they doing?" Donna asked.

"And you," Lucius said, focusing on Donna, "daughter of…London."

"They can't know this." Lily said. "It's not possible."

"This is the gift of Pompeii." Lucius told her. "Every single oracle tells the truth."

"But that's impossible." Donna told him.

"Doctor, Lily." Lucius said. "They are returning."

"Who is?" the Doctor demanded. "Who are they?"

"And you, Daughter of London…" Lucius said. "You have something on your back."

"What's that mean?" Donna demanded, sounding scared.

"Even the words 'Doctor' and 'Lily' are false." Evelina said. "Your real names are hidden. They burn in the stars of the cascade of Medusa herself. You are a lord and lady…of time…"

She fainted.

"Evelina!" Metella shouted, running to her daughter's side.

The Doctor joined her. He looked up at Lily.

_What the hell was that?_ She demanded.

He could only shrug.

A/N: First chapter of Fires of Pompeii. Sorry it took so long. My computer had to be sent back to Toshiba to be fixed. Any way. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	11. Fires of Pompeii: Secundus

Disclaimer: I'm so tired I don't even have the energy to claim I own my cat, much less Doctor Who.

Ch. 11:

Evelina was lying on her bed, unconscious, when Donna entered.

"She didn't mean to be rude." Metella told her as she cared for her daughter. "She's ever such a good girl. But when the gods speak through her…"

Metella gently unwrapped a cloth from Evelina's arm.

"What's wrong with her arm?" Donna asked.

"An irritation of the skin." Metella answered. "She never complains, bless her. We bathe it in olive oil every night."

"What is it?" Donna asked as she walked forward.

"Evelina said you'd come from far away." Metella said. "Please, have you ever seen anything like it?"

Donna ran her finger over the gray patch on Evelina's arm.

"It's stone." She whispered.

* * *

The Doctor kneeled down next to a grate in the floor, while Caecilius and Lily stood next to him.

"Ah!" the Doctor exclaimed as he removed the grille. "Different sort of hypocaust."

"Oh yes, we're very advanced in Pompeii." Caecilius told him. "In Rome, they're still using the old wood-burning furnaces, but we've got hot springs…leading from Vesuvius itself."

"Who thought of that?" The Doctor asked.

"The soothsayers after the great earthquake seventeen years ago." He replied. "An awful lot of damage, but we rebuilt."

"Why don't you think about moving away?" Lily asked. "Then again, San Francisco."

"That's a new restaurant in Naples, isn't it?" Caecilius asked.

The Doctor looked down the whole and they could hear a loud grating sound and rumbling.

"What's that noise?" the Doctor asked.

"Don't know." Caecilius told him. "Happens all the time. They say the gods of the underworld are stirring."

"But after the earthquake…let me guess." The Doctor said. "Is that when the soothsayers started making sense?"

"Oh yes, very much so." Caecilius replied. "I mean, they'd always been…shall we say 'imprecise'? But then…the soothsayers, the augurs, the haruspex-all of them, they saw the truth again and again. It's quite amazing. They can predict crops and rainfall with absolute precision."

"Have they said anything about tomorrow?" Lily asked innocently.

"No." Caecilius answered. "Why should they? Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Lily answered, ignoring the Doctor's glare. "Just asking."

"All the soothsayers," the Doctor said, still glaring at his mate. "They all consume the vapours?"

"That's how they see." Caecilius told him.

The Doctor pulled out his glasses and put them on.

"Ipso facto…" he said, leaning into the hypocaust.

Lily sighed and quickly grabbed the back of his pants to keep him from falling in.

"Look, you…" Caecilius protested.

_If I wasn't such a great person, I'd let you fall._ Lily told him.

_You'd miss me._ He replied.

_Sure, parts of you._ She said.

He turned and glared at her while she grinned.

He reached down and grabbed something before straightening.

"They're all consuming this." He said.

He held out the pinch or rock dust he was holding.

"Dust?" Caecilius asked.

"Tiny particles of rock." The Doctor told him.

He tasted it.

"They're breathing in Vesuvius." He said.

* * *

Quintus was lying on a couch, sipping wine, when the Doctor walked up and Lily sat down next to him.

"Quintus, me old son." The Doctor said. "This Lucius Petrus Dextrus, where does he live?"

"Nothing to do with me." Quintus replied.

The Doctor leaned down.

"This Lucius Petrus Dextrus…" he pulled a gold coin from behind Quintus' ear. "Where does he live?"

Quintus quickly got up.

"Well, have fun boys." Lily said, leaning back.

"You're not coming?" the Doctor asked.

"Nah, I thought I'd keep Donna out of trouble." She told him.

He leaned down and kissed her.

"Have fun." He said.

"Oh, I'm sure I will." Lily replied.

She winced, rubbing her arm, as she watched them leave. Finally she got up to go look for Donna.

* * *

Quintus led the Doctor through the streets with a torch. They stopped in front of the window to Lucius' house.

"Don't tell my dad." Quintus said.

"Only if you don't tell mine." The Doctor replied.

He jumped onto a barrel and climbed through the window. Inside, it was dark, the only light coming from the hypocaust.

"Pass me that torch." The Doctor called.

Quintus did as he asked and hopped up as the Doctor looked around. When Quintus had made it in, the Doctor walked over to a curtain. Handing the torch back to Quintus, the Doctor used both hands to pull the curtain down. Behind it were many more circuits.

"The liar." Quintus seethed. "He told my father it was the only one."

"Well…" the Doctor said, putting on his glasses to take a closer look. "Plenty of marble merchants in this town. Tell them tall the same thing; get all the components from different places so no one can see what you're building."

"Which is what?" Quintus asked.

"The future, Doctor." A voice said.

The Doctor and Quintus turned to find Lucius standing behind them.

"We are building the future as dictated by the gods." He told them.

* * *

Evelina was laughing as Donna got used to her new dress, while Lily stood in the door, watching with an amused look.

"You're not supposed to laugh." Donna rebuked. "Thanks for that. What do you think?"

She struck a pose.

"The goddess Venus." She said.

"Oh, that's sacrilege." Evelina told her, still laughing.

"Nice to see you laugh, though." Donna told her as she sat next to her. "What do you do in old Pompeii, then…girls your age? You got…mates? Do you go hangin' about 'round the shops? T.K. Maximus?"

"I'm promised to the sisterhood for the rest of my life." Evelina told her, shaking her head.

"You get any choice in that?" Donna asked.

"It's not my decision." Evelina answered. "I have the gift of sight. The sisters chose for me."

"Then…what can you see happening tomorrow?" Donna asked.

Lily straightened slightly, paying attention now.

"Is tomorrow special?" Evelina asked.

"You tell me." Donna replied. "What do you see?"

Evelina closed her eyes.

"The sun will rise." She said. "The sun will set. Nothing special at all."

She opened her eyes again.

"Look…" Donna said. "Don't tell the Doctor I said anything 'cause he'll kill me…but I've got a prophecy too."

"Donna!" Lily snapped.

"You've got to let me try!" Donna protested. "Please!"

Lily glared at her, but didn't say anything.

Evelina covered her eyes with her hands and they saw that one had an eye drawn on it.

"Evelina, I'm sorry," Donna said, "but you've got to hear me out…Evelina, can you hear me? Listen."

"There is only one prophecy." Evelina told her.

"But everything I'm about to say to you is true." Donna told her. "I swear. Just listen to me. Tomorrow, that mountain is going to explode. Evelina, please listen. The air is going to fill with ash and rocks…tons and tons of it and…this whole town is gonna get buried."

"That's not true." Evelina replied.

"I'm sorry." Donna told her. "I'm really sorry, but everyone's gonna die. Even if you don't believe me, just tell your family to get out of town…just for one day, just for tomorrow. But you've got to get out! Just leave Pompeii!"

"This is false prophecy!" Evelina proclaimed, clearly upset.

"Evelina," Donna said.

"Stop." Lily ordered. "I let you try, and I blocked out the Doctor so he wouldn't know, now stop. Just stop."

Donna looked at her and Lily stared right back. Finally, the red head nodded.

* * *

The Doctor stood in front of the marble slabs, arranging them slowly.

"Put this one…there." He said, taking another one from Quintus. "This one…there. Uh…I'll keep that one upside down. What have you got?"

"Enlighten me." Lucius said drolly.

"What?" the Doctor asked. "The soothsayer doesn't know?"

"The seed may float on the breeze in any direction." Lucius replied.

"Yeah, I knew you were gonna say that." The Doctor said. "But…it's an energy converter."

"An energy converter of what?" Lucius asked.

"I don't know." The Doctor replied. "Isn't that brilliant? I love not knowing, keeps me on my toes. Lily says she hates it, but she's lying. She loves it as much as me."

He went to stand next to Lucius.

"It must be awful, being a prophet." The Doctor told him. "Waking up every morning, 'Is it raining? Yes, it is. I said so.' Takes all the fun out of life. But who designed this, Lucius? Hmm? Who gave you these instructions?"

"I think you've babbled long enough." Lucius replied.

"Lucius, really, tell me honestly." The Doctor said. "I'm on your side. I can help."

"You insult the gods!" Lucius said. "There can be only one sentence. At arms!"

"Oh, moritiuri te salutant." The Doctor muttered.

_Lily, I may need some help._ He called.

_When don't you?_ She replied. _I'll be there in a minute._

"Celtic prayers won't help you now." Lucius told him.

"But it was him, sir." Quintus protested. "He made me do it. Sir Dextrus, please don't."

"Come on now, Quintus…dignity in death." The Doctor said. "I respect your victory, Lucius. Shake on it?"

He held out his hand.

"Come on." He prodded, wiggling his fingers. "Dying man's wish?"

The Doctor lunged and grabbed Lucius' hand, yanking as he pulled away, and Lucius' forearm came with him.

"But he's…" Quintus gasped.

"Show us." A voice said.

They turned to find Lily sitting on the window sill.

Lucius glared at them, but he threw back his cloak to reveal the stump of a stone arm.

"The work of the gods." He declared.

"Pretty vindictive gods." Lily said. "I'd look into finding some new ones. I hear the Christian God is fairly nice. Maybe you should check out some literature."

"He's stone!" Quintus yelped, finally caching up.

"'Armless enough, though." The Doctor said with a grin.

_That was terrible._

_Thank you._

"Whoop!" the Doctor said, throwing the arm back to Lucius. "Quintus!"

Quintus threw the torch at one of the guards and Lily helped him through the window as she hopped down. She walked over to join the Doctor as he pointed the sonic screwdriver at the marble slabs.

"Out!" he called. "Out! Out! Hurry!"

"The carvings!" Lucius yelled.

"I'm fine." Lily told him. "Go, I'll cover your escape."

He nodded and jumped through the window.

"I wouldn't follow if I were you." Lily told the one armed man, who was now kneeling next to his creations.

She backed up to the window and jumped through, running after the Doctor, only to find him right below the window.

"You're truly annoying, you know that right?" she asked him.

"Run." He told her, taking her hand and dragging her along.

They got a few streets over before stopping.

"No sign of 'em." The Doctor said. "Nice little bit of allons-y."

"I don't think that word means what you think it means." Lily told him, glaring at him.

"I think we're all right." He continued.

"But his arm, Doctor." Quintus said. "Is that what's happening to Evelina?"

There was a loud boom.

"Oh, what now?" Lily moaned.

They looked around as the booming continued.

"The mountain?" Quintus suggested.

"No, it's closer." The Doctor disagreed.

Stalls and baskets began to fall over, but nothing appeared.

"They're footsteps." The Doctor said.

"It can't be." Quintus protested.

"If they're underground?" Lily said.

"What is it?" Quintus demanded. "What is it?"

The Doctor quickly turned Quintus around and made him run as Lily brought up the back. As they passed vents, steam bellowed up like geysers.

They ran straight back to the villa and found Caecilius and Metella.

"Caecilius!" the Doctor shouted. "All of you, get out!"

"Doctor, what is it?" Donna yelled.

"The Doctor ripped off a guy's arm and now we're being followed by invisible giants." Lily answered.

"That's all?" Donna asked sarcastically.

"Just get out!" the Doctor sneered.

He tried to herd everyone out, but the ground beneath the hypocaust cracked and loud growling rose up. Everyone froze.

A creature of stone and magma rose up.

"Lily." The Doctor said.

"Oh please." She replied. "I have half the power I used to. Do you really think I can take on that freak?"

"The gods are with us." Evelina whispered.

"Water!" the Doctor called. "We need water! Quintus, all of you, get water! Donna!"

A gold wall appeared between the creature and the others.

_Can he punch through that?_ The Doctor asked.

_With little to no trouble._ Lily replied. _It's barely going to slow him down._

A servant stepped up to the creature, stepping through the shield.

"You moron!" Lily yelled. "Get back here!"

"Blessed are we to see the gods." The servant said, ignoring Lily.

The creature breathed fire and the man turned to ash.

"Talk to me!" the Doctor demanded, walking forward with his hand held out in front of him. "That's all I want! Talk to me. Tell me who you are. Don't hurt these people."

* * *

On her way back with water, women in red came out of the shadows and grabbed Donna as Evelina watched.

"Doctor!" Donna screamed, her voice muffled. "Lily!"

The women dragged Donna out.

* * *

"Talk to me." The Doctor ordered. "I'm the Doctor. Tell me who you are."

The creature breathed fire and it hit the shield. It held but the moment the pressure was gone, it collapsed, as did Lily.

"You better have a backup plan." Lily told him. "Cause that was it for plan A."

"Doctor!"

They turned to find Quintus and some servants dipping urns into the pool. He and servants threw the water at the creature and it seemed to freeze before falling and crumbling to pieces.

"What was it?" Caecilius asked.

"Carapace of stone… held together by internal magma." The Doctor answered, helping Lily to her feet. "Not too difficult to stop. But I reckon that's just a foot soldier."

"Oh, goody." Lily said sarcastically. "I can't wait to meet the general."

"Doctor…or whatever your name is…you bring bad luck in this house." Metella told him.

"I thought your son was brilliant." The Doctor said. "Aren't you going to thank him?"

Quintus looked shocked as his mother hugged him tightly.

"Still, there are aliens at work in Pompeii." Lily said quietly.

"Good thing we stayed then." The Doctor said. "Donna!" he called.

He and Lily looked around but didn't see their friend.

"Donna!" they called. "Donna?"

* * *

Donna was lying on a stone table, surrounded by women in red.

"You have got to be kidding me." She groused.

A/N: Second chapter. Tell me what you think. So I have a question for all of you:

Who or what do you think the Pandorica is?

I personally hope it's the Doctor, or more accurately, the Valeyard. How cool would that be? Plus that would give us a second TARDIS to blow up. If Moffat manages to bring back the Valeyard, I might be willing to forgive some of his other transgressions. Not River though. Nothing could make me forgive him for that.

Abbey


	12. Fires of Pompeii: Trintus

Disclaimer: I won the Doctor in raffle. That means I get to keep him, right? What do you mean raffling off sentient beings is illegal?

Ch. 12:

Donna was strapped to an altar with a priestess holding a dagger above her.

"The false prophet will surrender both her blood and her breath." The priestess told her.

"I'll surrender you in a minute." Donna shot back. "Don't you dare!"

"You will be silent." The priestess said.

"You might have eyes on the back of your hands, but you'll have eyes in the back of your head by the time I finish with you!" Donna yelled. "Let me…go!"

"This prattling will cease…forever." The priestess declared as she swung the dagger upwards.

"Oh, that'll be the day." A voice called.

Everyone turned to see the Doctor and Lily standing in the entrance way.

"No man is allowed to enter the Temple of Sybil." The priestess told him.

"Oh, that's all right, just us girls." Lily said. "The Doctor doesn't count."

_Hey!_

_You asked for it._

They began walking towards the others.

"Do you know, I met the Sibyl once." The Doctor said. "Hell of a woman. Blimey, she could dance a tarantella. Truth be told, I think she had a bit of a thing for me. I said it would never last. She said, 'I know'. Well, she would."

They stopped at the altar and Lily jumped up to sit next to Donna.

"So," she said, grinning. "how you doing?"

"Oh, just peachy." Donna replied sarcastically.

"I like the toga." The Doctor told her, taking out the sonic screwdriver. "You should've gotten Lily to wear one."

"Thank you. And we tried." Donna told him. "She wouldn't go for it."

"I like my pants just fine, thanks." Lily interjected.

"Yeah, but I think the ropes are what makes the outfit." Donna said. "What do you think?"

"Eh, not so much." The Doctor replied.

He pointed the screwdriver at the ropes and they fell apart, allowing Donna up. Lily hopped down and helped her friend up, ignoring how similar this scene was.

They quickly joined the Doctor.

"What magic is this?" the priestess demanded.

The Doctor flipped the screwdriver before tucking it away again.

"Let me tell you about the Sibyl…the founder of this religion." the Doctor said. "She would have been ashamed of you. All her wisdom and insight turned sour. Is that how you spread the word, eh? On the blade of a knife?"

"Yes…" the priestess replied. "A knife that now welcomes you!"

She raised the knife.

"Show me this man." A voice called.

All the women turned to a curtain and kneeled.

"High Priestess, the stranger would defy us!" the priestess called.

"Let me see." The voice demanded. "This one is different. He carries starlight in his wake."

"I am so sick of this true prophecy crap." Lily muttered.

"You should take care." The voice said. "Priestesses should respect their sisters."

"Yeah, well the only group nuttier than you guys is the order I belonged to, so excuse my lack of faith." Lily groused. "And I never finished my training."

"You are the last." The High Priestess told her. "Training or no, you are a High Priestess."

"Oh fantastic." Lily whined.

The Doctor dragged her forward and Donna followed.

"Ah, very perceptive." The Doctor said. "Where do these words of wisdom come from?"

"The gods whisper to me." The High Priestess told him.

"Oh, they've done far more than that." The Doctor said. "Ah, might I beg audience, look upon the High Priestess?"

"No one may lay eyes on the High Priestess." The other priestess told them.

"She just called me a High Priestess." Lily said. "So I demand an audience, as is my right."

The curtains parted and Donna gasped.

"Oh my god!" she said. "What's happened to you?"

The woman sitting on the bed seemed to be more living stone than living flesh.

"The heavens have blessed me." The High Priestess replied.

"If I might.." the Doctor asked.

The Priestess raised her arm and the Doctor stepped forward and knelt to touch it.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"It is necessary." She replied.

"Who told you that?" the Doctor asked her.

"The voices." She replied.

"Is that what's happening to Evelina?" Donna demanded. She rounded on the others. "Is this what's gonna happen to all of you?"

"The blessings are manifold." The other priestess said, holding out her arm.

"They're stone." Donna said, touching her arm.

"And you people just out crazy-ied my people." Lily muttered. "Who wants to be stone?"

"The people of Pompeii are turning to stone before the volcano erupts." The Doctor said, standing up and walking back to the two girls. "But why?"

"This word…this image in your mind, this 'volcano', what is that?" the High Priestess demanded.

"More to the point, why don't you know about it?" the Doctor asked. "Who are you?"

"High Priestess of the Sibyline." She replied.

"No, he's not talking to you." Lily said. "He's talking to the thing inside you. The thing that's seeding itself into a human body, using the dust in the lungs."

"The thing that's taking over the flesh and turning it into…what?" the Doctor said.

"Your knowledge is impossible." The High Priestess said.

"Oh, but you can read my mind." The Doctor said. "You know it's not. I demand you tell me who you are!"

"We…are…awakening!" the woman said, her voice changing.

"The voice of the gods!" the other priestess exclaimed.

"Words of wisdom, words of power." The priestesses began to chant. "Words of wisdom, words of power."

"Name yourself!" the Doctor ordered. "Planet of origin, galactic coordinates, species designation according to the universal ratification of the Shadow Proclamation."

"We…are…rising!" she said in that same strange voice.

"Tell me you name!" the Doctor ordered.

"Pyrovile!" she said, throwing back her hood.

"Pyrovile, Pyrovile." The women chanted.

"What's a Pyrovile?" Donna asked.

"Well, that's a Pyrovile…growing inside her." The Doctor answered. "She's at the halfway stage."

"Well, and that turns into?" Donna asked.

"That thing at the villa that swatted down my shield like it was nothing." Lily said. "That was an adult Pyrovile."

"And the breath of a Pyrovile will incinerate you, Doctor." The High Priestess said.

"I warn you…" he said. "I'm armed."

He pulled out a water pistol and Lily groaned.

"A little support, is that too much to ask for?" he asked.

"I'm sorry." She replied. She gave him two thumbs up. "Go Doctor." She said sarcastically.

"Donna, get that grille open." The Doctor ordered.

"What are…?" Donna asked.

"Just-" he jerked his head and Donna did as he asked.

"What are they Pyrovile doing here?" he asked.

"We fell from the heavens." The High Priestess replied. "We fell so far and so fast we were rendered into dust."

"That would hurt, I would think." Lily said, wincing.

"Right." The Doctor agreed. "Creatures of stone shatter on impact. When was that, seventeen years ago?"

"We have slept beneath for thousands of years." She corrected.

"Okay, so seventeen years ago woke you up and now you're using human bodies to reconstitute yourself, but why the psychic powers?" He asked.

"We opened their minds and found such gifts." She replied.

"Yeah, okay, fine." He said. "You force yourself inside a human brain, use the latent psychic talent to bond. I get that. I get that. Yeah, but…seeing the future, that is way beyond psychic, you can see through time. Where does the gift of prophecy come from?"

The High Priestess moaned.

"I got it!" Donna called.

"Now get down." The Doctor called back.

"What, down there?" Donna asked.

"Yes, down there!" he yelled before turning back to the High Priestess. "Why can't this lot predict the volcano?" he asked. "Why is it being hidden?"

"Sisters, I see into his mind." The other priestess interrupted. "The weapon is harmless."

"Yeah, but it's got a sting!" he replied, shooting water at the High Priestess, who moaned in pain when it hit her.

He and Lily quickly ran to Donna.

"Get down there!" he ordered.

Donna dropped down and when he hesitated, Lily glared at him.

"Do not make me drop you." She told him.

He grinned and dropped down and she followed a second later.

* * *

"You fought her off with a water pistol." Donna said as the Doctor landed in a heap. "I bloody love you."

Lily landed lightly next to him.

"Why are you lying on the ground?" she asked, reaching down to help him up.

He glared at her but took her hand.

"This way." He said, leading them off.

"Where are we going now?" Donna asked.

"Into the volcano." He replied.

"No way." She said.

"Yes way." The Doctor replied, twirling the pistol. "Appian Way."

"Can we please not mention the site of the crucifixion of Spartacus?" Lily asked as they walked off. "That doesn't seem like a very good idea to me. Not since you two bozos decided to rip off the name of a famous slave."

She quickly ran to catch up.

* * *

They walked through the tunnels towards Vesuvius.

"But if it's aliens setting off the volcano, doesn't that make it all right?" Donna asked. "For you to stop it?"

"Doesn't work like that." Lily told her.

"Why?" she demanded.

"Still a part of history." Lily replied.

"Well, I'm history too." Donna pointed out. "You saved me in 2008. You saved us all. Why is that different?"

"Some things are fixed, some things are in flux." The Doctor told her. "Pompeii is fixed."

"How do you know which is which?" she asked.

He stopped and turned to look at her.

"Because that's how we see the universe." He told her. "Every second, we can see what is, what was…what could be, and what must not. That's the burden of the Time Lord, Donna. We're the only ones left."

He turned and walked off.

"How many people died?" Donna called after him and he kept walking.

"Stop it." Lily ordered. "Just stop."

"Doctor!" she yelled.

He finally stopped and turned back.

"How my people died?" she asked again.

"Twenty thousand." He answered.

"Is that what you see, Doctor?" she asked. "Is that what you both see? All twenty thousand? And you think that's all right, do you?"

"Of course it's not right!" Lily exploded at her. "Of course it's not good! It's horrific! But it's what it is! We can't change it. What happens here has to happen or history could be destroyed! What happens if we stop it, and Pompeii rises to challenge Rome? History changes, it breaks! And if we're the ones who did it, how does it make us any better than them?"

They turned as they heard the screech of a Pyrovile.

"They know we're here." The Doctor said softly. "Come on."

He led them off.

* * *

They made their way through the tunnels, avoiding fire and falling rock, in silence. Finally they arrived in a great cavern.

"It's the heart of Vesuvius." The Doctor said. "We're right inside the mountain."

All around, giant Pyroviles were walking around.

"There's tons of 'em." Donna gasped.

"What's that thing?" the Doctor asked.

He pulled out a small collapsible telescope.

"Well, you'd better hurry up and think of something." Donna told him. "Rocky IV's on its way."

"That's how they arrived…or what's left of it." The Doctor said. "Escape pod? Prison ship? Gene bank?"

He collapsed the telescope.

"But why do they need a volcano?" Donna asked. "Maybe…it erupts and they launch themselves back in space or something."

"It's worse than that." Lily said softly.

"You feel it too?" the Doctor asked her.

She nodded.

"How can it be worse?" Donna demanded.

A Pyrovile roared.

"Doctor, it's getting closer." Donna said.

"Heathens!" a voice yelled.

They turned to see Lucius standing further up the cavern.

"Defilers!" he yelled. "They would desecrate your temple, my lord gods!"

"Come on!" the Doctor yelled.

The three time travelers ran across the cavern floor.

"We can't go in!" Donna protested.

"We can't go back!" the Doctor replied.

"Crush them!" Lucius yelled. "Burn them!"

They stopped suddenly as a Pyrovile rose up in front of them. The Doctor whipped out his water pistol and fired it, causing the Pyrovile to shy away.

"There is nowhere to run, Doctor…fiery Lily, and Daughter of London." Lucius called.

They ran and stood in front of the pod.

"Now then, Lucius." The Doctor called. "My lord Pyrovillian…don't get your selves in a lava."

He glanced at Lily and Donna.

"In a lava…no?" he asked.

"I love you, but no." Lily told him, shaking her head. "Please no."

"Fine." The Doctor said. "But if I might beg the wisdom of the gods before we perish…once this new race of creatures is complete…then what?"

A Pyrovile strode towards them, crushing boulders in its path.

"My masters will follow the example of Rome itself," Lucius replied, "an almighty empire, bestriding the whole of civilization."

"But if you've crashed, just repair!" Lily called. "You have much more advanced tech then this planet. Why stay here?"

"The heaven of Pyrovillia is gone." Lucius told them.

"What do you mean 'gone'?" the Doctor asked. "Where's it gone?"

"It was taken." Lucius told him. "Pyrovillia is lost."

_What the hell is that supposed to mean? _Lily asked.

_I don't know. _the Doctor replied.

_I hate it when you say that._

_Me too._

"But there is heat enough in this world for our new species to rise." Lucius continued.

"You might want to look into the water situation out there." Lily said.

"She's got a point." The Doctor added. "It's 70% water. That might cause a problem."

"Water can boil and everything will burn, Doctor!" Lucius told him.

"Then the whole planet is at stake." The Doctor said, putting the water pistol away. "Thank you, that's all I needed to know. Donna! Lily!"

He pushed them into the pod and jumped in after them, using the sonic screwdriver to seal them in.

"Well, this is cozy." Lily said.

"Could we be any more trapped?" Donna asked.

A/N: Third chapter done. Sorry there's been such a delay. The last week has been hectic. So how may of you watched the Pandorica Opens? I'm sorry to say one of my favorite lines belongs to River Song.

The Doctor: (to River) You graffitied the oldest cliff face in the universe.  
River: You wouldn't answer your phone.

Damn you, Moffat!

Also good:

It's kinda fuzzy. I died and turned into a Roman. It's very distracting.

Anyway, tell me what you thought about the chapter, the episode, life in general.

Abbey


	13. Fires of Pompeii: Quartus

Disclaimer: I give up.

Ch.13:

"Little bit hot." Donna said.

"Could have something to do with the fire being shot at us." Lily replied.

"Really, you think?" Donna replied.

"Nah, it's just an idea." Lily said.

"See, the energy converted takes the lava, uses the power to create a fusion matrix which wields Pyrovile to human." The Doctor said, ignoring them. "Now it's complete, they can convert millions."

"Well, can you change it…with these controls?" Donna asked, pointing to the console in front of them.

"'Course I can, but don't you see?" he asked. "That's why the soothsayers can't see the volcano."

"There is not volcano." Lily said softly.

"Exactly. Vesuvius is never going to erupt." He said. "The Pyrovile are stealing all its power. They're gonna use it to take over the world."

"But you can change it back." Donna said.

"Well, I can avert the system, so the volcano will blow them up, yes, but…" he said. "That's the choice, Donna. It's Pompeii or the world."

"Oh my god." Donna breathed.

"If Pompeii is destroyed, then it's not just history, it's me." The Doctor said. "I make it happen."

"No." Lily said. "Not just you."

She put her hand on his cheek.

"You're not alone anymore." She told him. "The burden isn't just yours."

He nodded and she smiled gently.

"But the Pyrovile are made of rock." Donna said. "Maybe they can't be blown up."

"Vesuvius explodes with the force of 24 nuclear bombs." The Doctor told her, adjusting some of the dials. "Nothing can survive it."

He looked at Donna.

"Certainly not us." He said.

"Never mind us." She told him.

"Lily?" he asked.

"I'm with you, no matter what." She told him.

He put his hands on the lever.

"Push this lever and it's all over." He told them. "Twenty thousand people."

He hesitated and Donna gently put her hands on top of his. He looked at her before glancing at Lily, who nodded. Then they pressed the lever.

* * *

The three of them were thrown around as the mountain exploded around them.

Finally, the pod came to a stop and Lily lifted a hand and blasted the door off.

"Lily!" the Doctor rebuked as they got out.

"What?" she demanded. "It was either that, or I throw up on you."

He shook his head and looked at the ship.

"It was an escape pod." He said.

He looked behind them and saw the aftermath of the volcano heading towards them. He grabbed Lily's hand and Donna's and pulled them along.

They ran all the way to Pompeii and through the streets. All around them, the people ran, terrified.

The chaos slowed their progress.

As did Donna.

"Don't!" she screamed. "Don't go to the beach! Don't got to the beach, go to the hills! Listen to me! Don't go to the beach, it's not safe! Listen to me!"

She saw a young boy crying alone and went to him.

"Come here." She said gently, but he was snatched out of her arms by another woman.

"Give him to me!" she said before running off.

Donna stood still, tears streaming down her face.

"Come on." Lily said gently, taking her hand and pulling her along.

They ran back to Caecilius' villa. Inside, the family was huddled in a corner.

"Gods save us, Doctor!" Caecilius yelled.

The Doctor stared at them for a moment before heading straight to the TARDIS.

"You can't!" Donna screamed as Lily followed him inside. "Doctor, you can't!"

She ran inside to find the Doctor making ready to leave and Lily sitting on the ramp, holding herself as tears poured down her cheeks.

"You can't just leave them!" Donna told him.

"Don't you think I've done enough?" he shot back. "History's back in place and everyone dies."

"You've got to go back!" she yelled. "Doctor, I am telling you, take this thing back!"

The Doctor released the brake and the TARDIS began to dematerialize. All the while, his face showed no emotion.

Lily knew different though, and he let her cry for both of them.

"It's not fair." Donna said.

"No, it's not." He agreed.

"But your own planet, yours and Lily's, it burned." She pointed out.

"That's just it." He told her. "Don't you see, Donna? Can't you understand? If we could go back and save them, we would, but we can't! I can never go back! Lily can never go back! We can't! We just…can't."

He paused.

"I can't." he whispered.

"Just someone." She begged. "Please. Not the whole town. Just save someone."

The Doctor stared at her.

"Do it." Lily said softly.

He turned to see her standing next to him.

"Please." She said. "We can't save our own people, but we can save them. Do it."

* * *

Caecilius sat huddled with his family as ash rained down around them. Suddenly, a bright light filled the room as the TARDIS returned.

The Doctor opened the door and held out his hand.

"Come with me." He said.

Caecilius slowly reached out and took the outstretched hand.

* * *

They stood on a cliff watching the total destruction of the city of Pompeii.

"It's never forgotten, Caecilius." The Doctor told him. "Oh, time will pass, men will move on, and stories will fade, but one day…Pompeii will be found again…in thousands of years…and everyone will remember you."

"What about you, Evelina?" Donna asked. "Can you see anything?"

"The visions have gone." She replied.

"The explosion was so powerful, it cracked open a rift in time." The Doctor told them. "Just for a second. That's what gave you the gift of prophecy. It echoed back into the Pyrovillian alterative. But not anymore. You're free."

"But tell me..." Metella said. "Who are you, Doctor…with your words…and your temple containing such size within?"

"Oh, I was never here." The Doctor told her. "Don't tell anyone."

"The great god, Vulcan, must be enraged." Caecilius said. "It's so Vulcanic. It's like some sort of…volcano. All those people…" he said, his voice breaking.

He pulled his wife into his arms and Quintus took Evelina's hand and held it tightly.

The Doctor took Lily's hand and led her back into the TARDIS and Donna followed them.

"Thank you." Donna said as she walked up to the console.

"Yeah." The Doctor said, pausing for a second. "You were right. Sometimes I need someone."

"You have Lily." She pointed out.

"Yeah, but I don't see things the way you do." Lily told her. "I don't see things like he does all the time, but I hardly ever see them the way you do. You see things in an uniquely human way. We need that."

"The point is," the Doctor said, "welcome aboard."

"Yeah." She said, smiling.

Lily walked over and wrapped her in a tight hug.

"I don't know about you, but I could use ice cream." Lily said.

Donna nodded.

"That sounds great." She said.

Lily hooked her arm with her own and led her out.

The Doctor smiled and put the TARDIS in the vortex.

_If you think you're getting out of a conversation about how you let me get sold, you are sorely mistaken, Theta._ The TARDIS told him.

The Doctor winced and quickly ran out of the room.

_Theta, you're inside me. _She told him. _You can't run from me._

_I can try._ He replied.

"Lily!" he called.

_Cheater._ The TARDIS said.

He smiled and ran to find his mate. Hopefully, she would protect him from the Time Ship's wrath.

_In your dreams._ She told him.

_You are mine._ The TARDIS told him.

The Doctor ran.

A/N: I know this chapter is short, but I wanted it separate from the next one. Tell me what you think.  
Abbey


	14. What Words Cannot Say

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Just the Doctor. And the TARDIS. Oh, and the whole franchise.

Ch. 14:

They spent the next little while in the TARDIS. The Doctor said it was to do repairs, but Lily knew he was lying.

"He's driving me nuts!" she vented to Donna as they sat in the movie room.

They were supposed to be watching episodes of a failed tv show that Lily loved, but they weren't really paying attention.

"He's just worried about you." Donna told her.

"Ok, fine, worry about me." Lily replied. "But if I have six months, I'm not going to spend it in a cage, no matter how nice it is."

"So tell him." Donna told her.

Lily sighed.

"I feel bad for complaining." She said. "I know he just wants to keep me safe."

"So convince him you're alright." Donna suggested.

"How?" Lily asked.

"I don't know, he's your mate." Donna said, standing up. "Figure it out. I, on the other hand, am going to sleep."

"I'll see you tomorrow." Lily told her, chuckling.

Donna waved as she walked out the door.

She briefly considered watching some more TV before standing up and walking out. She made her way through the corridors to the music room.

She sat down at the piano and sang.

"We're drivin' down the road, I wonder if you know  
I'm trying so hard not to get caught up now  
But you're just so cool, run your hands through your hair  
Absent-mindedly makin' want you.

'Cause I don't know how it gets better than this  
You take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless  
And I don't know why but with you I'd dance  
In a storm in my best dress, fearless.

Well, you stood there with me in the doorway  
My hands shake, I'm not usually this way  
But you pull me in and I'm a little more brave  
It's the first kiss, it's flawless, really somethin'.  
It's fearless.

And I don't know how it gets better than this  
You take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless  
And I don't know why but with you I'd dance  
In a storm in my best dress, fearless."

"If I had known all it took to get you to sing again was to lock you in the TARDIS, I would have done it months ago."

Lily jumped and glared at the Doctor.

"A little warning would be nice." She told him.

He smiled and came and sat next to her.

"I don't want to be locked in here." Lily told him. "I love the TARDIS, but I'm going crazy."

"I know." He replied.

"So are you going to stop breaking things, and actually take us somewhere?" she asked.

"Lily…" he sighed.

"I'm not going to break." She told him. "You can't keep me safe forever. Even we were to stay in the TARDIS, in the vortex, indefinitely, I'm still going to die. There's nothing you can do to stop it."

"I know." He said softly. "But I wish I could."

She gently cupped his cheek.

"I know you do." She said. "But I won't sit around and wait to die. Please don't ask me to."

He hesitated a second before nodding.

"No more hiding in the TARDIS?" she asked.

"No more hiding." He agreed.

She smiled and kissed him.

After a little while they pulled apart and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"You should go to bed." He told her softly.

"Only if you come too." She replied.

"I'm not tired." He told her.

"Did I say anything about sleeping?" she asked with a grin before getting up and walking out the door.

He sat for a moment before it sunk in and he ran after her.

* * *

The next morning, Donna found them in the control room, the Doctor under the console and Lily sitting on the jump seat, glaring at him.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"In his effort to come up with reasons why we couldn't go places," Lily said, "the Time Lord moron actually broke the TARDIS."

"You speech pattern is doing that thing again." The Doctor called.

Lily leaned over and kicked him.

"Fix what you broke and don't talk." She told him.

Donna laughed.

"Does he have a time estimate?" she asked.

Lily sighed.

"He just keeps saying that time in the TARDIS is relative, which I take to mean a very long time." Lily told her.

"Do you want to go swimming?" Donna asked.

"That sounds like a great idea, I'd love to." The Doctor said, sliding out from underneath the console.

He caught Lily's glare and changed his mind.

"On the other hand, I do have a lot to do." He said.

"Un huh." Lily agreed.

"I should probably…" he pointed underneath the console and Lily nodded. "I'll just keep working."

"Good choice." Lily told him.

She hopped off the seat.

"Come on." She said, leading Donna out.

* * *

A few hours later, he found them sitting around the pool.

"All done?" Lily asked, cracking open an eye.

"Yep." He said, popping the p. "And I found a planet to go to."

"Come on." Lily said, throwing a towel at Donna, who threw it right back. "We'll be ready in a couple of minutes." She told him.

"A few minutes." Donna amended.

"15, tops." Lily said.

"Maybe a half an hour." Donna replied.

"She right." Lily agreed. "Maybe you should just give us an hour."

"Yeah, an hour should be good." Donna agreed.

"Fine, you have an hour." He begrudging agreed.

"Thanks." Lily said, kissing his cheek as she passed.

He stood there for a second.

"What am I supposed to do for an hour?" he called after her.

"I'm sure you can find something to do." She called back as she left.

A second later, she popped her head back in.

"Just don't break anything."

A/N: Planet of the Ood is up next! Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	15. Planet of the Ood: Song of Dying

Disclaimer: I own everything. Including you. Yes, you.

Ch. 15:

The TARDIS jostled the three of them around before finally coming to a stop.

"Set the controls to random!" the Doctor announced. "Mystery tour. Outside that door could be any planet, anywhere, any when, in the whole wide-are you all right?" he asked Donna.

"Terrified." She replied. "I mean, history's one thing, but an alien planet…"

"I could always take you home." The Doctor told her.

"You cannot leave me alone with him." Lily whined.

"Yeah, don't laugh at me." She told them.

"I know what it's like-everything you're feeling right now." The Doctor told her. "The fear, the joy, the wonder-I get that!"

"Seriously?" Donna asked. "After all this time?"

"Yeah!" he replied. "Why do you think I keep going?"

"Other than a deep seated fear of responsibility." Lily added.

"Well there is that." He replied with a smile.

"By the way, I have no idea what you two are talking about." Lily said with an air of superiority. "It's just another day, another planet."

"Oh, please." The Doctor scoffed, standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "You cannot tell me that you don't get an excited feeling in the pit of your stomach when you think about what's outside."

"That's not fair." Lily told him, pouting. "I wanted to be the cool, composed one. Why did you have to go and ruin it?"

"Because I like to ruin your fun." He told her, kissing her cheek.

"Besides, I thought you had a planet picked out already." She pointed out. "What's with the mystery tour?"

"I had a planet, but then you two took two hours to get ready." He grumbled. "I got bored."

"Oh, poor baby." She said, leaning up to kiss him.

"All right, that's enough of that." Donna told them.

They grinned at her before the Doctor let go of Lily and walked over to get his coat.

"This is barmy!" Donna said as Lily hooked her arm with hers and led her to the door. "I was born in Chiswick. I've only ever done package holidays. Now I'm here. This is-I mean it's-I dunno. It's all so-I don't even know what the word is!"

The two women walked out the door to find themselves on a frozen planet in nothing but a sleeveless blouse and pants for Donna, and a tank top and jeans for Lily.

"I've got a word." Lily said, shivering. "Three actually: Freaking Freezing Cold."

The Doctor walked out to join them, looking just fine.

"Snow!" he proclaimed. "Ah! Real snow! Proper snow at last! That's more like it. Lovely. What do you think?"

"Bit cold." Donna said, shivering as well.

"Look at the view!" he told them.

"Yep." Donna replied. "A beautiful…cold view."

"I hate the cold." Lily muttered. "I spent most of my winters in Florida to escape exactly this."

"Millions of planets, millions of galaxies and we're on this one." The Doctor continued. "Molto bene! Belissimo! Says Donna, born in Chiswick."

"I'm taking away your Italian tapes." Lily told him.

"You've had a life of work and sleep," he said, ignoring her and walking away from them.

Lily and Donna looked at each other and turned and walked back into the TARDIS.

"Tell and rent, takeaway dinners," the Doctor continued, not noticing that his audience was gone. "Birthdays and Christmases, and two weeks holiday a year and then you end up here! Donna Noble, citizen of the Earth, standing on a different planet. How about that, Donna?"

He turned around and realized they were gone.

"Donna?" he called. "Lily?"

The two women came back out completely bundled up. Donna was wearing a coat with a fur lined hood pulled up, while Lily had a long black coat, black gloves, and a black ski cap pulled down over her ears.

"Sorry." Donna said. "You were saying?"

"Are you two better?" the Doctor asked.

"Much." Lily replied. "Thanks."

"Comfy?" he asked.

"Yep." Donna told him.

"Can either of you hear anything?" he asked.

"Pardon?"

"What?"

"Right." He continued. "I was saying citizen of the Earth-"

He was interrupted as a rocket flew overhead.

"A rocket." Donna marveled. "Blimey, a real, proper rocket. Now that's what I call a spaceship."

She slapped the Doctor's arm.

"You've got a box-" she told him. "He's got a Ferrari. Come on, let's see where it's going."

"Hey!" Lily called after her. "Do not knock the TARDIS. She's sensitive. It's not her fault the Doctor isn't capable of fixing the chameleon circuit!"

The Doctor stared after the two for a minute before shaking his head and following after them.

* * *

They walked over hills of snow, laughing and joking, until the Doctor and Lily stopped.

"Hold on-" he said. "Can you hear that? Donna, take your hood down."

"What is that?" Lily asked.

"What?" Donna asked as she lowered her hood.

"That noise." The Doctor said.

"It's like a song." Lily said.

The Doctor looked around and spotted something in the distance.

"Over there!" he said, breaking into a run.

The girls followed him and they found the body of an Ood, half-buried in the snow.

"What is it?" Donna asked.

"An Ood." The Doctor replied as he kneeled next to the body. "He's called an Ood."

He pulled out his stethoscope.

"But it's face…" Donna said.

"Donna." Lily said sharply. "It's a 'he', not an 'it'."

"Sorry." Donna said, kneeling in the snow.

"Give me a hand." The Doctor said.

Lily nodded and kneeled next to him, laying a hand on the Ood's forehead.

"I don't know where the heart is." The Doctor said. "I don't know if he's got a heart."

"Well, if he does, it's getting weaker." Lily told him. "He's slipping away."

"Talk to him." The Doctor told them. "Keep him going."

"It's all right." Donna said gently. "We've got you. Um…what's your name?"

"Designated Ood Delta 50." He said, weakly holding up his translator ball.

"My name's Donna." She replied, taking the ball and speaking into it.

"No, no, no, no." the Doctor said. "You don't need to."

"Sorry." Donna replied. "Oh, God-this the Doctor and Lily." She told the Ood. "Just what you need-a doctor. Couldn't be better, eh?"

"You've been shot." Lily said, softly.

"The circle-" Delta 50 said.

"No, don't try to talk." Donna told him.

"The circle must be broken." Delta 50 continued, closing his eyes.

"The circle?" Lily asked confused.

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked. "Delta 50, what circle? Delta 50? What circle?"

Delta 50 opened his eyes again and they were bright red.

The Doctor quickly grabbed Lily, pulling her away as Donna scrambled back. Delta 50 sat up, growling, but the growl disappeared as he died and fell back into the snow.

"He's gone." Lily said.

"Careful." The Doctor said as Donna approached the body.

"There you are, sweetheart." She said, laying her hand on his chest. She reached up and stroked his head. "We were too late. What do we do-do we bury him?"

"I could-" Lily said.

"No." the Doctor said, shaking his head. "The snow will take care of that."

"Who was he?" Donna asked. "What's an Ood?"

"They're servants-of humans in the 42nd century." The Doctor told her. "Mildly telepathic. That was the song-it was his mind calling out."

"I couldn't hear anything." Donna said.

She stood up and Lily wrapped her arm around her shoulders.

"He sang as he was dying." Donna said, laying her head on Lily's shoulder.

"His eyes turned red." The Doctor murmured.

"What's that mean?" Donna asked.

"Something very not got." Lily answered.

"Come on." The Doctor said, walking away.

Lily smiled softly at Donna before following him, and second later, Donna did the same.

"The Ood are harmless and completely benign." The Doctor said. "Except the last time I met them, there was this force, like a stronger mind, powerful enough to take them over."

"What sort of force?" Donna asked.

"Long story." The Doctor replied.

"Long walk." She shot back.

"It was the devil." He finally answered.

She scoffed.

"If you're gonna take the mickey, I'll just put my hood back up." Donna told him.

"He's serious." Lily said.

Donna just stared at her.

"Must be something different this time, though." The Doctor continued. "Something closer to home."

They came to the edge of a bluff.

"A-ha!" he exclaimed. "Civilization!"

"Heat!" Lily yelled.

Without a second thought, she took off running.

"Lily!" the Doctor called after her.

He exchanged a look with Donna, who just shrugged, before they followed after her.

* * *

A group of cold business men and women stood outside, being greeted by a young woman.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Ood-Sphere, and isn't it bracing?" she said with a smile. "Here are your information packs with vouchers, 3D tickets and a map of the complex."

An Ood moved through the crowd, handing out packets as he went.

"My name's Solana, Head of Marketing." She continued. "I'm sure we've all spoken on the vid-phone. Now, if you'd like to follow me-"

"Sorry, sorry!" the Doctor called as the three of them ran up. "We're late! Don't mind us! Hello. The guards let us through."

"And you would be-?" she asked.

"The Doctor, and Donna Noble, and Lily Carter." The Doctor answered, holding up the psychic paper.

"Representing the Noble Corporation, PLC Limited, Intergalactic." Donna followed up.

"Must have fallen off my list." Solana replied, smiling. "My apologies, it won't happen again. Now then, Dr. Noble, Mrs. Noble, Ms. Carter, if you'd like to come with me."

"Oh, no, no, no." The Doctor said quickly. "We're not married."

"We're so not married." Donna added.

"Never." The Doctor said.

"Never ever." Donna added.

"Of course." Solana replied. "Here's your information pack. Vouchers inside."

She handed the Doctor the packet.

"Now," she said, addressing the group. "If you'd like to come with me, the executive suites are nice and warm."

She opened the door and people began filling in.

_If people keep assuming you're married to Donna, I'm going to start to get offended soon._ Lily told the Doctor.

He smiled and draped his arm over her shoulders.

_They just assume you're too good for me. _He replied.

She smirked.

_Well I am that._ She replied.

He laughed, but stopped when an alarm began to blare.

"Ooh, what's that?" he asked. "Sounds like an alarm. What do you thing, love?"

"Sounds like an alarm to me." Lily agreed.

"It's just a siren for the end of the work shift." Solana told the group, still smiling.

_Nice cover._ Lily observed. _Too bad that's all it is. A cover._

The Doctor nodded.

"Now then, this way!" Solana continued. "Quick as you can!"

The group quickly filed into the much warmer building.

No one saw Solana's smile drop as the last of them walked inside.

* * *

Solana stood in front of the group, giving the sales pitch, while The Doctor, Lily, and Donna stood in the back.

"As you can see," Solana was saying, "the Ood are happy to serve and we keep them in facilities of the highest standards. Here at the Double-O-that's Ood Operations-we like to think of the Ood as our trusted friends. We keep the Ood healthy, safe, and educated. We don't just breed the Ood, we make them better. Because, at heart, what is an Ood…but an extension of us? If your Ood is happy…then you'll be happy too."

The room applauded and the Doctor and company joined in lacklusterly.

"I'd now like to point out a new innovation from Ood Operations." Solana continued, walking over to three Ood on pedestals. "We've introduced a variety package with the Ood translator ball. You can now have the standard setting-How are you today, Ood?"

"I'm perfectly well, thank you." The first Ood replied.

"Or perhaps, after a stressful day, a little something for the gentlemen. How are you, Ood?" she asked, moving to the second.

"All the better for seeing you." The Ood replied.

"Ok, that is just creepy beyond measure." Lily muttered.

"And the comedy classic option." Solana said, moving to the third in line. "Ood, you dropped something."

"D'oh!" the Ood replied.

"I'm having Jack send one of those to General O'Neill from Homeworld Security over in America." Lily said, smiling.

The Doctor looked at her and she shrugged.

"Jack's always complaining that every time he talks to the man, he makes a reference to the Simpsons." Lily explained. "It's apparently his favorite show."

"Yeah, let's not." The Doctor replied.

"I think it'd be funny." Lily said, shrugging.

The Doctor shook his head before returning his attention to Solana.

"All that for only five additional credits." She was saying. "The details are in your brochures. Now, there's plenty more food and drink, so don't hold back."

The Doctor put on his glasses and headed over to the control board, switching on the screen, while Lily and Donna got drinks before joining him.

"Ah, got it." The Doctor said, studying the screen. "The Ood-Sphere. I've been to the solar system before-years ago. Ages. Close to the planet Sense-Sphere. Let's widen it out…"

He pressed some buttons and the map expanded.

"The year 4126." He said. "That is the Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire."

"4126?" Donna asked. "It's 4126? I'm in 4126?"

"It's good, isn't it?" the Doctor replied with a grin.

"What's the Earth like now?" she asked.

"A bit full, but you see, the empire stretches out across three galaxies." The Doctor told her.

"It's weird." Donna said. "I mean, it's brilliant, but…back home, the papers and the telly, they keep saying we haven't got long to live-global warming, flooding, all the bees disappearing."

"Yeah, that bee thing is really odd." Lily said. "We should probably look into that."

"But look at us-" Donna continued, "we're everywhere. Is that good or bad, though? I mean, are we like explorers or more like a virus."

"Sometimes I wonder." The Doctor replied.

"What are the red dots?" Donna asked.

"Ood distribution centers." The Doctor answered.

"Across three galaxies?" she asked. "Don't the Ood get a say in this?"

Neither the Doctor nor Lily had an answer for her, so she walked over to the nearest Ood, and they followed.

"Um…sorry, but…" she said, tapping it gently to get its attention. "Hello. Tell me, are you all like this?"

"I do not understand, miss." The Ood replied.

"Why do you say, 'miss'?" Donna demanded. "Do I look single?"

"Focus, babe." Lily said, smiling.

"Yeah." Donna agreed. "What I mean is, are there any free Ood? Are there any Ood running wild somewhere like wildebeest?"

"All Ood are born to serve." The Ood replied. "Otherwise we would die."

"You can't have started like that." Donna said. "Before the humans, what were you like?"

_Did you see that?_ Lily asked quickly as the Ood's head jerked.

The Doctor nodded.

"The circle." The Ood said.

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked. "What circle?"

"The circ-" the Ood said, seeming to struggle with the words. "The circle-is-"

"Ladies and gentlemen." Solana called. "All Ood to hospitality stations, please."

All the Ood left and Lily and the Doctor exchanged a look.

The Doctor took off his glasses and slipped them into a pocket before pulling out the map they were given earlier.

"I've had enough of the schmoozing." The Doctor said. "Do you fancy going off the beaten track?"

"A Rough Guide to the Ood-Sphere?" Donna asked. "Works for me."

"Hey you know me." Lily said, grinning. "I'm of the opinion that tour guides just slow you down."

"Yeah." The Doctor agreed.

They quickly headed for the door.

A/N: Hey, sorry for the delay, I've had a migraine for the last five days. I also discovered in this time that Vicodin and writing aren't a very good mix. Useful information for the future.

So, update time. Some of you have asked if I will be continuing this story into the Matt Smith years, and after watching The Big Bang, I can tell you that the answer is yes. I have a definite direction to take Lily and I feel I can work her in and stay true to the story. So there will be a story for the specials and a story for Series 5.

Speaking of The Big Bang. Holy. Crap. Part of me hates Moffat (especially for anything to do with the River story line or the fact that he keeps giving her good lines) and part of me is grudgingly in love with him. I cannot wait for Christmas. Enough said.

Also, I love Matt Smith.

Anyway, read. Review. Rejoice.

That is all.

Abbey


	16. Planet of the Ood: Song of Captivity

Disclaimer: My lawyer says that claiming I own everything is not advisable. What does he know?

Ch. 16:

"Ood Shift 8 commencing. I repeat, Ood Shift 8 commencing."

The Doctor led Lily and Donna to a locked gate and quickly opened it with the sonic screwdriver.

They walked up some stairs and looked down into an open area.

Below them, the Ood marched. One fell to its knees and a guard quickly walked over to it.

"Get up." He told the Ood. "I said, get up!"

He cracked a whip.

"Servants?" Donna asked, horrified. "They're slaves."

"Get up!" the guard yelled.

The Ood stood up.

"March!" the guard ordered.

"Last time I met the Ood, I never thought, never asked…" the Doctor murmured.

"That's not like you." Donna said.

"I was busy." The Doctor replied. "So busy I couldn't save them. I had to let the Ood die. I reckon I owe them one."

"Check out that strut." Lily said, pointing to a man walking across the open area with another man and an Ood. "Ten says he's the boss."

"Let's keep out of his way." The Doctor said. "Come on."

* * *

They walked through the complex, Donna behind Lily and the Doctor as the couple argued over the map. They walked past a warehouse and Donna stopped. She brought her fingers up to her lips and whistled loudly, making the other two jump.

"Where did you learn to whistle?" the Doctor asked, turning back.

"West Ham, every Saturday." Donna replied.

The Doctor shook his head and quickly opened the door with the sonic screwdriver. They walked in and found a room filled with shipping containers being moved around by a giant claw.

"Ood Export. You see?" the Doctor asked, pointing to the claw. "Lifts up the containers, takes 'em to the rocket ships. Ready to be flown out all over the three galaxies."

"What you mean-These containers are full of…" Donna said.

"What do you think?" the Doctor asked.

They walked to the nearest container and the Doctor opened it to reveal Ood, standing quietly in formation inside.

"Oh, it stinks." Donna said. "How many of 'em do you think there are in each one?"

"A hundred?" the Doctor answered. "More?"

"A great, big empire, built on slavery." Donna said.

"It's not so different from your time." He replied.

"Oi, I haven't got slaves." Donna shot back.

"Who do you think made your clothes?" the Doctor replied.

"Is that why you travel round with a human at your side?" Donna demanded. "it's not so you can show them the wonders of the universe, it's so you can take cheap shots."

"Hey!" Lily said, getting between them. "Stop it. Both of you."

They both backed down.

"Sorry." The Doctor said softly.

"Well, don't." Donna replied. "Spaceman."

The Doctor smirked and Lily smiled.

"I don't understand," Donna said, turning her attention back to the Ood. "The door was open-Why didn't you just run away?"

"For what reason?" an Ood asked.

"You could be free." Donna replied.

"I do not understand the concept." He told her.

"What is it with that Persil ball?" Donna asked. "I mean, they're not born with it, are they? Why do they have to be all plugged in?"

"Ood, tell me," the Doctor said. "Does 'the circle' mean anything to you?"

"The circle must be broken." All the Ood replied.

"Ok, more creepy." Lily said. "Fun."

"But what is it?" the Doctor asked. "What is the circle?"

"The circle must be broken." The Ood replied in unison.

"Why?" the Doctor asked.

"So that we can sing." They replied.

Suddenly, alarms began to sound.

"That would be our cue." Lily said.

"Come on!" the Doctor told them, and they ran.

They ran through the maze of containers, looking for a way out. The Doctor and Lily didn't notice when Donna stopped.

"Doctor!" she called after them. "There's a door."

At that moment, the door opened and guards poured through it.

"Don't move!" they shouted.

* * *

The Doctor stopped, realizing that Donna wasn't with them, and Lily had to back track.

"Where has she gone?" he asked.

"Stay where you are!" they heard someone shout in the distance.

They exchanged a look and quickly ran as some of the guards spotted them.

* * *

"Keep her there for now." The leader ordered.

The guards pushed a protesting Donna into a container with some of the Ood. The leader quickly walked up to the catwalk and watched as the Doctor and Lily ran.

"Donna?" the Doctor yelled. "Where are you?"

"Go that way." Lily said. "Split up."

"I don't think so." The Doctor answered.

"Don't be stupid, we're harder to track separately." Lily told him before running the opposite direction.

"Lily!" he hissed.

He watched her disappear around a corner before pressing himself against a container and listening.

He suddenly heard a sound and looked up to see the claw coming for him.

He quickly ran to the door of the nearest container, but when he reached it, it clicked shut and locked.

The Doctor ran down the maze with the claw chasing him. It hit the ground, narrowly avoiding the Doctor, so the Doctor ran faster.

_A little help would be great._ He called to Lily.

* * *

_Oh, hold your horses._ Lily replied as she ran._ I'm working on it._

She quickly ran for the stairs, knocking out a guard as she went.

* * *

Donna was inside an Ood container that happened to be filled with Ood. Go figure.

"Can you help me?" she asked, walking towards one of the Ood.

The Ood slowly raised it head and she quickly backed away. Its eyes were blood red.

"Oh, no you don't." she told him.

* * *

The claw was gaining on the Doctor and he was beginning to tire.

* * *

Lily took the stairs two at a time, her only thought was getting to those controls.

* * *

Donna's back hit the door of the container.

"What have I done?" she demanded. "I'm not one of that lot. I'm on your side!"

* * *

The claw narrowly missed the Doctor, causing him to fall and roll to get back up before he continued running.

_Anytime now._ He called.

* * *

_Shut up._ She replied, running along the catwalk.

* * *

"Stay where you are, that's an order!" Donna told the Ood. "I said stay! Doctor! Lily!"

* * *

The claw hit the Doctor, causing him to fly over some barrels and to land on his back. The claw dropped and the Doctor shut his eyes. A second later he opened them to find the claw dangling above him.

_You're welcome._ He heard Lily say in his head.

* * *

"Even think about pushing a button, and you're going to regret it." Lily said as she held her dagger to the leader's throat.

_Um, problem._ The Doctor said.

Lily looked down to see the Doctor being prodded along by two guards with guns and she could hear Donna shouting in one of the containers.

_Just surrender._ The Doctor told her.

She grumbled for a second before lowering her knife.

"I wouldn't do that." She said as the man reached for her dagger. "Isomorphic controls."

He ignored her and when his hand touched the hilt, he received a sharp shock.

"Told you." Lily said smugly.

He took his gun and prodded her down to where the rest were.

"When did you install isomorphic protections?" the Doctor called as she neared.

_Didn't. _Lily replied silently with a grin. _Just shocked him when he touched it._

The Doctor shook his head.

"Doctor, get me out!" they heard Donna shout.

"If you don't do what she says, you're really in trouble." The Doctor told the leader. "Not from me-from them. Believe me angering one of them is nuts. Annoying both is suicide."

"Unlock the container." The man ordered.

The men opened the door and Donna ran to the couple hugging them both tightly.

"Doctor! Lily!" she said urgently.

"There we go, safe and sound." The Doctor told her.

"Never mind about me." She replied. "What about them?"

She pointed back to the container and they saw the red eyed Ood pile out of the container and begin killing the guards.

A gold wall appeared around the trio.

"Red alert!" the leader shouted. "Fire!"

The guards opened fire and the Doctor, Lily, and Donna made a break for it, escaping out the door, Solana with them.

They ran until they felt they were far enough away and stopped, breathing hard.

"If the people back on Earth knew what was going on here…" Donna said.

"Don't be stupid." Solana told her. "Of course they know."

"They know how you treat the Ood?" Donna demanded.

"They don't ask." Solana replied. "Same thing."

"Solana, the Ood aren't born like this." The Doctor said. "They can't be. A species born to serve could never evolve in the first place. What does the company do to make them obey?"

"That has nothing to do with me." Solana replied.

"Why?" Lily asked, sarcastically. "Because you don't ask?"

"That's Dr. Ryder's territory." She shot back.

"Where is he?" the Doctor demanded. "What part of the complex?"

He held out the map.

"I could help with the red-eye." He said as she hesitated. "Now show me!"

Solana paused before taking a deep breath.

"They're over here!" she shouted.

"You stupid bi-" Lily said, starting forward, only to be held back by the Doctor.

"Guards, they're over here!" Solana continued shouting.

The Doctor and Donna ran, pulling Lily along with them, as the guards rounded the corner.

They ran down the corridors.

"This way!" the Doctor yelled, veering off as he spotted more guards, and the girls followed.

They ran and the Doctor suddenly stopped outside another warehouse.

"Doctor." Lily said, sounding like she was in pain.

"I can hear it." He said. "We don't need the map. We should've just listened."

He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and opened the door and then locking it behind them.

"Does that mean we're locked in?" Donna asked.

"Listen." The Doctor replied. "Listen, listen, listen, listen."

He led them down some stairs. As they went, Lily's hand found his and she gripped it tightly. At the bottom of the stairs, they found cages.

"Oh, my head." The Doctor said.

Tears fell down Lily's cheeks.

"What is it?" Donna asked.

"Can't you hear it?" the Doctor asked. "The singing?"

They saw Ood huddled together in one of the cages. The Doctor quickly reached over and flipped on the lights.

"They look different to the others." Donna said.

"That's because they're natural-born Ood." The Doctor replied. "Unprocessed. Before they're adapted to slavery. Unspoiled."

"It's their song that we're hearing." Lily said as the Doctor squatted down in front of the cage.

"I can't hear it." Donna said.

"Do you want to?" the Doctor asked.

Donna kneeled down next to him.

"Yeah." She answered, facing him.

"It's the song of captivity." He warned.

"Let me hear it." She told him.

"Okay." He replied.

He reached up and placed his fingertips on her temples.

"Open your mind." He told her.

Lily turned away.

"That's it." He said. "Hear it, Donna…Hear the music."

Donna gasped and turned to face the Ood, tears pouring down her face.

"Take it away." She said, her voice breaking.

"You sure?" he asked.

"I can't bear it." Donna answered.

The Doctor put his fingers back on her temples and repeated the process.

"I'm sorry." She said.

Lily kneeled next to her and wrapped her arms around her friend.

"It's okay." She told her.

"But you two can still hear it." Donna said.

"All the time." The Doctor answered.

He pulled out the sonic screwdriver to open the cage as Donna and Lily looked back when they heard a noise.

"They're breaking in." Donna said.

"Ah, let 'em." The Doctor said.

He entered the cage and the Ood tried to shuffle away.

"What are you holding?" he asked.

They refused to look at him.

"Let me try." Lily said, coming up behind him.

He nodded and she walked around him.

"Hi there." She said gently, kneeling in front of the Ood. "Friend. Doctor, Lily, and Donna, friend. Can I see? Please? I promise I won't hurt you. I just want a peak."

The Ood came a little closer.

"That's it, honey." Lily said, smiling. "That's it. I promise you're safe."

The Doctor came up behind her as the Ood held out its hands and removed the top one to reveal…

Lily gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Is that-?" Donna asked.

"It's a brain." The Doctor said. "A hindbrain. The Ood are born with a secondary brain. Like the amygdala in humans, it processes memory and emotion. You get rid of that, you wouldn't be Donna anymore. You'd be like an Ood. A processed Ood."

"Bastards." Lily hissed. "They cut off their brains and stitch on a translator."

"Like a lobotomy." Donna said, horrified. "I spent all that time looking for you, Doctor, because I thought it would be so wonderful out here."

She shook her head.

"I want to go home." She told them.

Before the Doctor or Lily could react to her statement, guards burst into the room.

"They're with the Ood, sir." One called.

The Doctor slammed the cage shut.

"What are you gonna do, then?" he demanded. "Arrest me? Lock me up? Well, you're too late! Hah!"

A/N: Chapter two, done. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	17. Planet of the Ood: Song of Battle

Disclaimer: What do you mean Doctor Who doesn't belong to me? Well that's just stupid.

Ch. 17:

"You just had to ask to be locked up." Lily groused as guards handcuffed the trio to a pole.

"I didn't think they'd actually do it." The Doctor defended himself.

"Well that makes you kind of stupid, doesn't it?" Lily shot back.

"Oi!" Donna interrupted. "Bigger problems."

"Why don't you just come out and say it?" A man asked. "FOTO activists."

The man was the one Lily had said looked like the boss, and had been identified as Mr. Halpen.

"If that's what Friends of the Ood are trying to prove, then yes." The Doctor told him.

"The Ood were nothing without us-" Halpen replied, "just animals roaming around on the ice."

"You would think that." Lily said, glaring. "You can't hear them."

"They welcomed it!" Halpen said. "It's not as if they put up a fight."

"You idiot!" Donna lashed out. "They're born with their brains in their hands, don't you see? That makes them peaceful! They've got to be because a creature like that would have to trust anyone it meets."

"Nice one." The Doctor told her and Lily nodded her agreement.

"Thank you." Donna replied.

"The system's worked for 200 years." Halpen told them. "All we've got is a rouge batch. But the infection is about to be sterilized."

He picked up a comm. unit.

"Mr. Kess, how do we stand?" he asked.

"Canisters primed, sir." Kess replied. "As soon as the core heats up, the gas is released. Give it 200 marks…and counting."

"You're going to gas them?" the Doctor demanded.

"Kill the livestock." Halpen replied. "The classic foot-and-mouth solution. Still works."

"You bastard." Lily seethed. "These aren't dumb heard animals. They're sentient beings with minds and existences of their own. You can't do this."

"Actually," he told her, "I can."

"Can't you just escape?" Donna whispered to Lily.

She shook her head.

"I had a bad night last night." Lily whispered back. "I had to take a larger dose of the serum and more pain killers this morning than normal. The shield in the warehouse was about it."

"Great." Donna said.

"My sentiments exactly." Lily agreed.

They all jumped as alarms began blaring.

"What the hell?" Halpen asked.

He ran out of the room, followed by Ood Sigma and Dr. Ryder.

"Well this sucks." Lily said, pulling at the restraints.

They stood in silence.

"What are we supposed to do, play 20 questions while we wait for them to come back?" Lily finally asked.

"We could play I Spy." Donna replied.

"I've got one." The Doctor said. "I spy someone who really needs to ease up on the sarcasm."

"That's not fair." Lily complained. "That could be any of us."

The door opened and Halpen walked back in.

"Change of plan." He said as Ryder walked to a computer.

"No reports of trouble off-world." Ryder said as he checked the screen. "It's still contained to the Ood-Sphere."

"Then we've got a public duty to stop it before it spreads." Halpen said.

"What's happening?" the Doctor demanded.

"Everything you wanted, Doctor." Halpen replied. "No doubt there'll be a full police investigation once this place had been sterilized, so I can't risk a bullet to the head."

"Thanks for that." Lily interjected.

"I'll just leave you to the mercies of the Ood." He finished.

"Not so thankful for that." Donna said.

Halpen headed for the door, but stopped when the Doctor called after him.

"But, Mr. Halpen, there's something else, isn't there?" he asked. "Something we haven't seen."

"What do you mean?" Donna asked.

"A third element is in play." Lily answered. "A creature with a separate forebrain and hindbrain couldn't survive; they'd constantly be at war with themselves."

"She right." The Doctor said. "There's got to be something else, so what is it?"

"Again, so clever." Halpen sneered.

"It's got to be connected to the red-eye." The Doctor told him. "What is it?"

Halpen looked right into the Doctor's eyes.

"It won't exist for very much longer." He told him. "Enjoy your Ood."

Halpen, Ryder, and the two guards quickly left, leaving the trio alone. The moment they were gone, Donna and the Doctor began trying to free themselves, while Lily closed her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Donna asked as she struggled against the handcuffs.

"Trying to summon up some measure of power." Lily answered. "Now, hush."

"Do something." Donna ordered the Doctor. "You're the one with all the tricks! You must've met Houdini!"

"These are really good handcuffs!" The Doctor replied.

"Oh, I'm glad of that!" Donna told him. "At least we've got quality!"

They all stopped when they heard the door open.

The trio looked up, and standing in the door way were the Ood. A second later, they advanced.

The Doctor and Donna began talking at once, and Lily closed her eyes and concentrated.

"Doctor, Lily, and Donna, friends!" the Doctor shouted.

"The circle must be broken!" Donna yelled.

Their voices were overlapping, but they kept shouting.

"Doctor, Lily, and Donna, friends!"

"The circle must be broken!"

"Doctor, Lily, and Donna, friends!"

"The circle must be broken!"

"Doctor, Lily, and Donna, friends!"

"The circle must be broken!"

"Doctor, Lily, and Donna, friends!"

"The circle must be broken!"

"Doctor, Lily, and Donna, friends!"

"The circle must be broken!"

"Doctor, Lily, and Donna, friends!"

"The circle must be broken!"

"Doctor, Lily, and Donna, friends!"

"The circle must be broken!"

The Doctor and Donna began to speak faster as the Ood got closer.

"Doctor, Lily, and Donna, friends!"

"The circle must be broken!"

"Doctor, Lily, and Donna, friends!"

"The circle must be broken!"

They winced away as the Ood raised their translator balls, stopping a few inches away from them.

"Doctor, Lily, and Donna, friends!"

"The circle must be broken!"

Suddenly, the balls switched off and the Ood grabbed their heads. A second later, they raised their heads and the trio saw that their eyes were normal again.

"Doctor. Lily. Donna." One Ood said. "Friends."

"That's me!" Donna shouted. "Us!"

"Yes, that's us!" the Doctor added. "Friends! Oh, yes!"

"Gotcha." Lily whispered.

They looked at her and she opened her eyes, which were swirling gold. A second later, her handcuffs disappeared followed by the Doctor's and Donna's.

"We should go." She said, her voice filled with pain.

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked.

"I'll be fine." She answered. "Let's just stop that son of a bitch."

He nodded and quickly led them out the door.

* * *

The Doctor, Lily, and Donna ran down the stairs and across the compound, dodging fighting as they went.

The Doctor stopped, trying to get his bearings, while Lily put her hands on her knees, breathing heavily.

"I don't know where it is!" the Doctor said frantically. "I don't know where they've gone!"

"What are we looking for?" Donna asked.

He didn't answer, he just took off running again, with the two women following after.

"Might be underground, like some sort of cave or a cavern or…" he shouted back.

There was an explosion and they were thrown to the ground.

"All right?" the Doctor asked as he and Donna got to their feet.

Donna nodded and he looked for Lily.

He spotted her nearby.

She wasn't moving.

"Lily!" he shouted, running to her sigh.

She groaned and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought you were dead." He told her, helping her to her feet.

"I hurt too much to be dead." She replied.

The smoke began to clear and they froze.

Standing in front of them was Ood Sigma.

A/N: I know it's short, but I want the climax in the next chapter, and this was the best stopping point. So, tell me what you think!

Abbey


	18. Planet of the Ood: Song of Freedom

Disclaimer: I give up.

Ch. 18:

Sigma led them straight to a warehouse and the Doctor quickly used the sonic screwdriver on the panel and the door opened. They ran inside but came to a stop when they saw what was inside.

In the middle of the warehouse was a giant brain within an energy field.

"The Ood brain." The Doctor said. "Now it all makes sense. That's the missing link. The third element, binding them together. Forebrain, hindbrain, and this, the telepathic center. It's a shared mind…connecting all the Ood in song."

There was a click, and the group turned to find Halpen holding a gun on them.

"Cargo." He said. "I can always go into cargo. I've got the rockets, I've got the sheds. Smaller business. Much more manageable without livestock."

"He's mined the area." Ryder told them.

"You're gonna kill it." Donna said.

"They found that thing centuries ago beneath the northern glacier." Halpen said.

"Those pylons." The Doctor said, nodding to them.

"In a circle." Donna said. "'The circle must be broken'."

"They've been dampening the telepathic field, stifling the Ood's song for 200 years." Lily seethed.

"And you, Ood Sigma, you brought them here." Halpen said. "I expected better."

"My place is at your side, sir." Sigma said as he moved to stand next to Halpen.

"Still subservient." Halpen chuckled. "Good Oo-"

He broke off.

"If that barrier thing's in place, how come the Ood started breaking out?" Donna asked.

"Maybe it's taken centuries to adapt." The Doctor said. "The subconscious reaching out."

"But the process was too slow, had to be accelerated." Ryder said suddenly. "You should never have given me access to the controls, Mr. Halpen. I lowered the barrier to its minimum." He smirked at him. "Friends of the Ood, sir. It's taken me ten years to infiltrate the company. And I succeeded."

"Yes." Halpen said. "Yes, you did."

He pushed Ryder over the railing and the man fell into the brain and was absorbed.

"You…murdered him." Donna said, horrified.

"Very observant, Ginger." Halpen replied. "Now then, can't say I've ever shot anyone before…can't say I'm gonna like it, but, uh, it's not exactly a normal day, is it? Still…"

He held up the gun to fire.

"Would you like a drink, sir?" Sigma asked.

Halpen laughed.

"I think hair loss is the least of my problems right now, thanks." he replied.

Sigma moved to stand in front of the trio.

"Please have a drink, sir." He said.

The Doctor put his hand on Sigma's shoulder.

"If-if you're gonna stand in their way, I'll shoot you too." Halpen told him.

His words became slow and he seemed to have trouble getting them out.

"Please have a drink, sir." Sigma said.

"Have-have you…poisoned me?" Halpen demanded.

"Natural Ood must never kill, sir." Sigma replied.

"What is that stuff?" Lily asked.

"Ood-graft suspended in a biological compound." Sigma replied.

Halpen did not look well.

"What the hell does that mean?" he demanded.

"Oh dear." The Doctor said.

"Go Ood." Lily said. "You guys rock."

"Tell me!" Halpen yelled.

"Funny thing, the subconscious." The Doctor told him. "Takes all sorts of shapes. It came out in the red-eye as revenge. It came out in the rabid Ood as anger. And then there was patience. All that intelligence and mercy focused on Ood Sigma. How's the hair loss, Mr. Halpen?"

"What have you done?" Halpen demanded.

"Oh, it's not what we've done." Lily told him gleefully. "They've been preparing you for a very long time, and now you're standing next to the Ood brain. Tell me, Mr. Halpen, can you hear it?"

"What have you-I'm…not-"

Sigma stepped out of the way as Halpen dropped the gun and grabbed his head, crying in agony. He pulled at his scalp and it came away, revealing an Ood head beneath and tentacles came out of his mouth.

A second later an Ood was standing where Mr. Halpen had been, wearing his clothes.

"They-they turned him into an Ood?" Donna asked looking at Lily, dumfounded.

"Yep!" Lily said happily.

"He's an Ood." She said, turning to the Doctor.

"I noticed." He replied.

Ood Halpen made a strange gurgling noise before coughing up his secondary brain.

"Okay, now I feel a little ill." Lily said. "No offence."

"None taken." Sigma replied. "He has become Ood-kind and we will take care of him."

"It's weird, being with you two." Donna said. "I can't tell what's right and what's wrong anymore."

"It's better that way." The Doctor told her. "People who know for certain tend to be like Mr. Halpen."

There was a loud beeping.

"Oh!" he said, running to the detonation packs and turning them off. "That's better. And now…Ood Sigma, will you allow me the honor?"

"It is yours, Doctor." Sigma replied.

"Oh yes!" the Doctor said.

He ran to the equipment powering the field.

"Stifled for over 200 years, but not anymore." He said. "The circle is broken. The Ood can sing!"

He threw a switch and the field surrounding the brain shut off, allowing everyone to hear the song.

The Doctor laughed and Lily threw herself into his arms, laughing with him as he swung her around.

"I can hear it!" Donna marveled.

Sigma raised his arms.

The Ood were free.

* * *

The Ood stood with the Doctor, Lily, and Donna just outside the TARDIS.

"The message has gone out." The Doctor told them. "That song resonated across the galaxies. Everyone heard it. Everyone knows. The rockets are bringing them back. The Ood are coming home."

"We thank you, Doctor-Lily-Donna, friends of the Ood-kind." Sigma told them. "And what of you now? Will you stay? There is room in the song for you."

"Oh-" the Doctor said, looking at Lily with a smile. "We've sorta got a song of our own, thanks."

"I think your song must end soon." Sigma told him.

"Meaning?" Lily asked.

"Every song must end." He replied.

"Yeah." The Doctor said.

He looked at Donna.

"Um, what about you?" he asked. "Do you still want to go home?"

"No." Donna replied. "Definitely not."

Lily squealed and hugged her tight.

"Then we'll be off." The Doctor said, smiling.

"Take this song with you." Sigma told them.

"We will." Lily said.

"Always." The Doctor agreed.

"And know this, Doctor-Lily-Donna," Sigma told them, "you will never be forgotten. Our children will sing of the Doctor-Lily-Donna, and our children's children, and the wind and the ice and the snow will carry your names forever."

The Doctor nodded and led the women into the TARDIS.

A second later the TARDIS disappeared.

* * *

A little while later, the Doctor and Donna found Lily in the music room.

"Inspired?" the Doctor asked.

"Their song was the most beautiful thing I've heard." Lily told him as she hunched over a piece of paper at the piano. "I can't really do it justice, but I can portray the sentiment."

She sat up and put her fingers on the keys.

"Sit." She told them.

They smiled and did as she ordered.

"Your call is coming  
I'm dreaming away  
For what lies hidden  
It needs to be found

Sounds of freedom make me wanna try

When the ghosts are found  
They will lead us to tomorrow  
Sounds of freedom make me wanna try

Voices forgotten  
I hear them close by  
Ghosts from the past I can see through their eyes  
Are these the ancestors leaving me signs?

Sounds of freedom make me wanna try

When the ghosts are found  
They will lead us to tomorrow  
Sounds of freedom make me wanna try

The sounds, they are all around  
Forces start moving out  
Taking sides, though there's so much  
That I need to know  
And soon it will be shown

Sounds of freedom make me wanna try

When the ghosts are found  
They will lead us to tomorrow  
Sounds of freedom make me wanna try

When the ghosts are found, they will lead us to tomorrow  
When the ghosts are found, they will lead us to tomorrow

If we could restart how it was before tomorrow."

As she finished, the Doctor got up and wrapped his arms around her from behind, hugging her tightly.

"I think it's perfect." He told her.

"Good." Lily replied.

They sat in silence for a moment.

"I wanna learn to drive the TARDIS." Donna said suddenly.

The Doctor stared at her.

"I think that's a great idea." Lily agreed.

"No." he said. "No, no, no, no, no."

The girls stared at him.

* * *

"So this is the thermoregulator…"

A/N: I know it's short again, but don't let it deter you from reviewing. Also I don't own Sounds of Freedom by Within Temptation.  
Abbey


	19. The Sontaran Stratagem: Old Friends

Disclaimer: I told you I give up, what more do you want?

Ch. 19:

"I can't believe I'm doing this!" Donna exclaimed.

"No, neither can I." the Doctor said, watching her nervously. "Whoa, careful."

He banged on the console with a mallet before lifting a lever.

"Left hand down!" he yelled. "Left hand down!"

The ship lurched.

"Getting a bit to too close to the 1980's." he told her.

"What am I gonna do, put a dent in 'em?" Donna asked.

"Well, someone did." Lily said as she walked around the console, pressing down buttons as she went. "I mean, have you seen the fashion choices of that decade? But don't worry, I don't have the proof yet, but one day I'm gonna prove it was him."

A phone began to ring.

"Hold on-" Donna said. "That's a phone!"

Lily reached into her pocket and pulled out hers before shaking her head.

"Not mine." She said.

The Doctor walked around the console and pulled a cell phone out of a holder.

"You've got a mobile?" Donna asked. "Since when?"

"It's not mine." He told her.

"I wanna answer it." Lily said, running over and jumping up and down. "Please can I answer it?"

He swatted her away before opening it and leaning against the jump seat.

"Hello?" he said.

* * *

"Doctor-it's Martha…" she said into the phone. "And I'm bringing you back to Earth."

* * *

The TARDIS materialized between two buildings behind Martha. She quickly turned around as she heard the engines and the door opened and the Doctor stepped out, Lily a beat behind him.

"Martha Jones." The Doctor said.

"Doctor." Martha replied.

They walked towards each other slowly until Martha opened her arms and the Doctor picked her up in a tight hug.

"Ah, yeah!" he said, before releasing her and letting Lily hug her tightly.

"You haven't changed at all!" Lily exclaimed, holding her friend tightly.

"Neither have you!" Martha replied.

Lily finally let her go and took a step back.

"How's the family?" the Doctor asked.

"You know." She replied. "Not so bad. Recovering."

Donna stepped out of the TARDIS and Martha spotted her.

"What about you?" Lily asked.

"All right." She replied. "I should have known . Didn't take you long to replace me."

She nodded to Donna who came to stand next to Lily.

"Now, don't start a fight." The Doctor warned. "Martha, Donna. Donna, Martha. Please don't fight. I can't bear fighting."

"You wish." Donna said, walking forward. "I've heard all about you."

She shook Martha's hand.

"They talk about you all the time." She told the other woman.

"I dread to think." Martha said with a laugh.

"No, no, no." Donna said. "They say nice things. Good things. Nice things. Really good things."

"Oh, my god, they've told you everything." Martha said, embarrassed.

"Didn't take you long to get over it, though." Donna replied. "Who's the lucky man?"

"Oh my god!" Lily exclaimed, running forward and grabbing Martha's hand. "How did I miss this? How did you not call me and tell me? Tell me everything right this minute."

"What man?" the Doctor asked, confused. "Lucky what?"

"She's engaged, you prawn." Donna told him.

"Please try to keep up." Lily added.

Martha smiled and removed her hand from Lily's to show the Doctor the ring.

"Really?" the Doctor said, smiling. "Who to?"

"Tom." Martha replied. "That Tom Milligan."

"Really?" Lily said. "Good for you."

"He's in pediatrics, working out in Africa right now." Martha continued. "And yes, I know, I've got a doctor who disappears off to distant places-tell me about it."

"Is he skinny?" Donna asked.

"No, he's sort of…strong." Martha replied.

"He is too skinny for words." Donna told her, pointing to the Doctor. "You give him a hug, you get a paper cut. I don't know how Lily hasn't lost extremities."

Martha and Lily laughed.

"I'd rather you were fighting." The Doctor grumbled.

"Dr. Jones, report to base, please." A voice came over the radio Martha was holding.

"Speaking of which…" Martha said, rasing the radio. "This is Dr. Jones. Operation Blue Sky is go, go, go."

She turned and walked away, talking as she went.

"I repeat, this is a go." She said.

The Doctor, Lily, and Donna followed her and watched as soldiers and jeeps and a large truck came down the road.

"Unified Intelligence Taskforce, raise that barrier now!" one soldier yelled. "Leave your safeties on, lads, it's non-hostiles."

"All workers lay down your tools and surrender!" another soldier yelled through a bullhorn.

"Greyhound Six to Trap One." Martha called. "B Section, go, go, go! Search the ground floor, grid pattern Delta."

"What are you searching for?" The Doctor asked.

"Illegal aliens." Martha replied.

"Which kind?" Lily asked.

Martha just grinned at her.

"This is a UNIT operation!" the second soldier yelled through the bullhorn. "All workers lay down your tools and surrender immediately!"

All around, UNIT soldiers forced workers to their knees.

"B Section mobilized!" Martha called. "E Section, F Section, on my command!"

She ran off, leaving the others behind.

"Is that what you did to her, turned her into a soldier?" Donna asked.

"She became what she had to be to survive." Lily replied sadly.

* * *

Martha strode back to the Doctor, Lily, and Donna a little while later.

"You're qualified now?" the Doctor asked, spotting her badge. "You're a proper doctor."

"Congrats!" Lily told her happily.

"UNIT rushed it through, given my experience in the field." She told them as she led them towards the truck. "Here we go. We're establishing a field base on site. They're dying to meet you."

"Wish I could say the same." The Doctor said.

Lily chuckled.

They entered the truck to find it set up with computers, monitors, and communications and big enough to function as a command center.

"Operation Blue Sky complete, sir." Martha said, walking up the senior officer. "Thanks for letting me take the lead. And this…this is the Doctor and his mate, Lily. Doctor, Lily, Colonel Mace."

"Sir, Ma'am." Mace said, saluting them.

"Oh, don't salute." The Doctor told him.

"And if you try to again, I'll break your arm." Lily told him, smiling.

"But it's an honor, sir." Mace said. "I've read all the files on you, and more recently your mate."

"I'm not sure how I feel about there being files on me." Lily muttered.

"Technically speaking, you're still on staff." Mace continued. "You never resigned."

"What, you used to work for them?" Donna asked.

"Yeah." The Doctor replied. "A long time ago, back in the 70's-or was it the 80's? It was all a bit more homespun back then."

"Times have changed, sir." Mace continued.

"That's enough of the 'sir'." The Doctor told him.

"Come on though, Doctor." Martha said. "You've seen it. You've been on board the Valiant."

The Doctor felt Lily stiffen next to him at the mention of the Valiant, but Martha continued.

"We've got massive funding from the United Nations," Martha told them, "all in the name of Homeworld Security."

"A modern UNIT for the modern world." Mace said.

"What, and that means arresting ordinary workers?" Donna demanded. "In the streets? In broad daylight? It's more like Guantanamo Bay out there. Donna, by the way. Donna Noble, since you didn't ask. I'll have a salute."

Mace looked at the Doctor, who gave him a slight nod, before snapping to attention.

"Ma'am." He said with a salute.

"Thank you." Donna said.

Lily laughed.

"Tell me what's going on in that factory." The Doctor said.

"Yesterday, fifty-two people died in identical circumstances right across the world, in 11 different time zones." Mace told him. "5 am in the UK, 6 am in France, 8 am in Moscow, 1 pm in China-"

"You mean they died simultaneously?" Lily interrupted.

"Exactly." Mace replied. "52 deaths at the exact same moment worldwide."

"How did they die?" the Doctor asked.

"They were all inside their cars." Mace told him.

"They were poisoned." Martha said. "I checked the biopsies. No toxins. Whatever it is left the system immediately."

"What do the cars have in common?" Lily asked.

"Completely different makes but all fitted with ATMOS." Martha told her. "And that is the ATMOS factory."

"What's ATMOS?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh come on, even I know that." Donna told him. "Everyone's got ATMOS."

"TARDIS, remember?" he said.

"How about I just show you?" Martha told him.

* * *

Martha led them along a catwalk above the factory floor.

"Stands for 'Atmospheric Emissions System'." She told them. "The ATMOS in your car reduces CO2 emissions to zero."

"Zero?" The Doctor asked, surprised. "No carbon? None at all?"

"And you get sat-nav thrown in, plus 20 quid in shopping vouchers if you introduce a friend." Donna added. "Bargain."

"And if it's killing people?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, not so much then." Donna agreed.

Mace joined them.

"And this is where they make it, Doctor," he said, "shipping worldwide. Seventeen factories across the globe, but this is the central depot, sending ATMOS to ever country on Earth."

"And you think ATMOS is alien?" the Doctor asked.

"It's our job to investigate that possibility." Mace told him. "Doctor?"

He walked off and the group followed. On the way, they passed some soldiers gathering together factory workers.

"Come on, everybody, up the pace." A soldier said. "We haven't got all day now."

Mace led them into an office where the ATMOS device was on display.

"And here it is, laid bare." He said. "ATMOS can be threaded through any and every make of car."

"You must've checked it before it went on sale." Lily said.

"We did." Martha replied. "We found nothing. That's why I thought we needed an expert."

"Really?" the Doctor asked as he slipped on his glasses and took a closer look. "Who did you get?"

Lily put her hand over her eyes.

"We're doomed." She said.

"What?" he asked. "Oh, you mean me! Right! Yes! Good."

Martha and Mace left the room.

"Can you please, please, try to keep up?" Lily begged.

"Moving on." Donna said before the Doctor could reply. "Why would aliens be so keen on cleaning up our atmosphere?"

"Very good question." The Doctor said.

"Maybe they want to help." Donna said. "Get rid of pollution and stuff."

"Do you know how many cars there are on planet Earth?" the Doctor asked. "800 million."

"Why do you know that?" Lily asked.

"Just imagine that." He told her. "If you could control them, you'd have 800 million weapons."

"Fantastic." Lily said sarcastically.

A/N: First chapter. Review. This is not a request, it's an order. Do it.

Abbey


	20. The Sontaran Stratagem: Investigations

Disclaimer: I am taking you all hostage until someone gives up the Doctor. Don't believe me? Look at this face. Does this look like the face of a sane person? Yeah, why don't you go make your calls.

Ch. 20:

The Doctor studied the ATMOS device while Lily leaned against a filing cabinet.

"Ionising nano-membrane carbon dioxide converter-" he said, "which means that ATMOS works. Fliters the CO2 at a molecular level."

"Awesome." Lily said. "Let's go home."

"We know about that." Mace said, ignoring her. "What's its origin? Is it alien?"

"No, but it's decades ahead of its time." The Doctor replied.

He glanced at Mace.

"Look, do you mind?" he asked. "Could you stand back a bit?"

"Sorry, have I done something wrong?" Mace asked.

"You're carrying a gun." The Doctor answered. "I don't like people with guns hanging around me, all right?"

"If you insist." Mace answered.

He walked out.

"Doctor!" Lily rebuked.

"Tetchy." Martha said.

"Well, it's true." He replied.

"It so isn't." Lily told him. "Jack carries a gun all the time and he doesn't bother you. What bothers you is you can't control Mace."

"He's a good man." Martha added.

"People with guns are usually the enemy in my books." The Doctor said, glaring at Lily who glared right back. "You seem quite at home." He said to Martha.

He took out the sonic screwdriver and used it on the device.

"If anyone got me used to fighting, it's you." Martha told him.

"Oh right," the Doctor shot back, "so it's my fault."

"Well you got me the job. Besides, look at me." She told him.

He turned off the sonic screwdriver and looked at her.

"Am I carrying a gun?" she asked.

"Suppose not." The Doctor grudgingly agreed.

"It's all right for you." She told him. "You and Lily can just come and go, but some of us have got to stay behind. So I've got to work from the inside and by staying inside, maybe I stand a chance of making them better."

"Yeah?" the Doctor asked, smiling. "That's more like Martha Jones."

"I learnt from the best." Martha replied.

"Well…" the Doctor said.

"I meant Lily." Martha told him.

"Hey!" he said as Lily laughed.

"Oi, you lot!" Donna called as she walked into the room. "All your storm troopers and your sonics-rubbish! Shoulda come with me."

"And where have you been?" Lily asked with a smile.

"Personnel." Donna answered as Mace entered the room. "That's where the weird stuff's happening-in the paperwork. 'Cause I spent years working as a temp, I can find my way around an office blindfolded, and the first thing I noticed is an empty file."

"Why, what's inside it?" the Doctor asked. "Or what's not inside it?"

"Sick days." Donna answered, opening them to show that it was completely empty. "There aren't any. Hundreds of people working here, and no one's sick. Not one hangover, man flu, sneaky little shopping trip. Nothing. Not ever. They don't get ill."

"That can't be right." Mace said, taking the folder.

"You've been checking out the buildings, should've been checking out the workforce." Donna told him.

"I can see why they like you." Martha told her.

"Hmm." Donna said, shrugging.

"You are good." Martha said.

"Super Temp." Donna replied.

Lily chuckled.

"Dr. Jones, set up a medical post, start examining the workers." Mace ordered. "I'll get them sent through."

"Come on, Donna, give me a hand." Martha said.

Martha and Donna left and the Doctor and Lily followed Mace.

* * *

"So, this, this ATMOS thing, where'd it come from?" the Doctor asked as they walked with Mace.

"Luke Rattigan himself." Mace answered.

"And himself would be?" Lily asked.

Mace led them to the field base and pulled up Rattigan's profile on a computer.

"Child genius." He told them. "Invented the Fountain 6 search engine when he was 12 years old. Millionaire overnight. Now runs the Rattigan Academy. A private school educating students handpicked from all over the world."

"A hothouse for geniuses-" the Doctor said, "wouldn't mind going there."

He shrugged when Mace looked at him.

"I get lonely." He told him.

"Hey!" Lily said.

"I didn't-" the Doctor tried to backtrack. "I mean-"

"Save it." Lily said, holding up a hand. "I'm making a mental tally of things you owe me after this, and that just got you a shopping trip in Paris for Donna and me, and Martha if she wants to come. She's going to need a wedding dress."

"Yes, ma'am." He answered with a grin.

She swatted his arm.

* * *

"Do you think I should call my mum?" Donna asked Martha. "About the ATMOS in her car?"

"Better safe than sorry." Martha told her.

"I'll give her a call." Donna said.

She turned to leave, but Martha stopped her.

"Donna-" she called. "Do they know where you are? Your family-I mean, that you're travelling with Lily and the Doctor?"

"Not really." Donna answered. "Although…my granddad sorta waved us off. I didn't have time to explain."

"You just left him behind?" Martha asked.

"Yeah." Donna replied.

Martha nodded.

"I didn't tell my family." She told the other woman. "Kept if all so secret and it almost destroyed them."

"In what way?" Donna asked.

"They ended up imprisoned." Martha told her. "They were tortured-my mum, my dad, my sister…all by Lily's brother. It wasn't the Doctor or Lily's fault, but you need to be careful. 'Cause you know the Doctor and Lily, they're wonderful and brilliant, but they're like fire-stand too close and people get burned."

* * *

Mace led the Doctor and Lily down to the jeeps.

"You are not coming with us." The Doctor told him. "I want to talk to this Luke Rattigan, not point a gun at him. And if I want to threaten him, I'll just sic Lily on him."

"Oh, thanks for that." Lily said sarcastically.

"It's ten miles outside London." Mace told him. "How are going to get there?"

"Then get me a Jeep." The Doctor replied.

"That I will be driving." Lily added.

"Why?" the Doctor demanded.

"I've seen you drive the TARDIS." She told him. "Do you really think I'm going to endanger lives by letting you behind the wheel of a car?"

"According to the records, you travel everywhere by TARDIS." Mace pointed out.

"Yeah, but, if there is a danger of hostile aliens," the Doctor told him, "I think it best to keep a super-duper time travel machine away from the front lines."

"I see." Mace said. "Then you do have weapons but you choose to keep them hidden."

"What are you talking about?" the Doctor asked. "She's standing right here."

"And that just cost you a trip to the spa on Midnight." Lily told him.

"Jenkins?" Mace called, ignoring their bickering.

"Sir!" a young man said as he ran up.

"You will accompany the Doctor and his mate and take orders from them." Mace told him.

"I don't do orders." The Doctor said.

"I do." Lily added.

"Any sign of trouble, get Jenkins to declare a Code Red." Mace told him. "And good luck, sir."

Mace saluted and Lily groaned.

"I said no salutes." The Doctor told him.

"Now you're giving orders." Mace replied before walking off.

"A bit cheeky, you are." The Doctor called after him.

Donna walked up to them.

"Doctor." She called.

"Oh, just in time." The Doctor said, grabbing her hand. "Come on!"

"Calm down." Lily told him.

"Come on, we're going to the country." The Doctor said, grabbing Lily's hand and pulling them both towards the Jeep. "Fresh air, geniuses, what more could you ask?"

"I'm not coming with you." Donna said, pulling away. "I've been thinking. I'm sorry…I'm going home."

"Really?" the Doctor asked.

"I've got to." Donna said.

"Well, if that's what you want." The Doctor told her. "I mean, it's a bit soon. I had so many places I wanted to take you. The Fifteenth Broken Moon of the Medusa Cascade, the lightening skies of Cotter Palluni's World, the diamond coral reefs of Kaata Flo Ko…Thank you. Thank you, Donna Noble. It's been brilliant. You-you've saved us in so many ways. You're…"

He trailed off as he noticed Donna and Lily staring at him.

"You're-you're just popping home for a visit." He realized. "That's what you mean."

"You dumbo." Donna told him.

"And then you're coming back." He continued, embarrassed.

"I thought that was very lovely, love." Lily told him, grinning. "Nice sentiment. A little premature, but nice. For that, I'm willing to forgo the shopping trip to Paris."

"Do you know what you are?" Donna asked. "A great, big, outer-space dunce."

"Yeah." The Doctor agreed.

"Ready when you are, sir." Jenkins called.

"What's more, you can give me a lift." Donna told him. "Come on."

The all piled into the Jeep.

"Broken moon of what?" she asked him.

"I know. I know." The Doctor said.

"I thought it was sweet." Lily said, laughing.

"Shut up." He told her.

* * *

Martha was interviewing workers.

"And your name's Treppa, yeah?" she asked a man who just stared blankly forward. "Is that Polish? Listen, we're not checking passports. It's not about that. But did you come across from Poland just to work?"

"I came to do my job." Treppa replied in a monotone voice.

"Okay. I need to listen to your heartbeat." Martha said, breathing on the stethoscope to warm it. "This might be a bit cold. Lift."

Martha placed the stethoscope on Treppa's chest and heard a very rapid heartbeat. She took the stethoscope away before trying again.

"Are you on any medication?" she asked the man.

"I'm here to work." He replied.

"How many hours a day do you work?" she asked.

"Twenty-four." He answered.

"You work 24 hours a day?" Martha asked him.

He didn't answer, just sat there with his shirt pulled up.

"Down." She ordered.

He lowered his shirt.

"Mr. Treppa, have you had any form of hypnosis?" Martha asked.

"I'm here to work." Treppa replied.

"Okay, um…if you could just wait here." She told him.

She got up and walked out the door.

As she walked down the hall way, two soldiers came up behind her.

"Dr. Jones?" one asked.

"Not now," she said, "I'm busy."

"Just one question." He replied. "Do you have Security Clearance Level One?"

"Yes, I do." She said, stopping. "Why?"

"Colonel Mace wants to see you." He told her.

"Oh, good, 'cause I want to see him." Martha replied. "Where is he?"

"Come with us." He told her.

Martha followed.

A/N: Second chapter. Done and done. Now do your duty to god and country and review.

Abbey


	21. The Sontaran Stratagem: Fresh Air

Disclaimer: Hola, my minions. I command you, go forth and take the Doctor and bring him back to me. Soon he will be your king. That is all.  
(Okay, that one was weird, even for me. Oh well.)

Ch. 21:

The Jeep pulled up the corner of Donna's road, and the Doctor, Lily, and Donna all got out.

"I'll walk the rest of way." Donna told them.

"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you, and then you can come with us to the school?" Lily asked.

"I'm sure." Donna replied with a smile. "Go, have fun with the geniuses. Try to not let the Doctor destroy anything and I'll see you back at the factory, yeah?"

"I'll try." Lily said, laughing as the Doctor huffed. "See you at the factory."

"Bye!" the Doctor called as he herded Lily back into the Jeep.

"And you be careful!" Donna called after them.

She smiled and slowly turned and began walking down the street. She was amazed by how normal it looked.

"Haven't seen you for days." A neighbor called.

"Yeah." Donna called back. "Been away."

Donna stopped and watched a young boy play with a football, remembering everything she had been through recently from hanging off the Adipose Building, to the young boy she tried to save in Pompeii, to the Ood's song of captivity.

She turned and saw her grandfather in the drive and stifled a sob. He spotted her and began waving his arms. She broke into a run and he grabbed her in a hug.

* * *

Martha followed the two soldiers down into the basement.

"What's he doing down here?" she asked them.

"He asked to see you." One of the soldiers answered.

"Why?" she demanded. "Has he found something?"

The soldiers didn't answer, they simply led her to a door and opened it. Martha strode in, expecting to see Mace, but instead she found an empty room with a bubbling pool in the middle of it. She turned and headed back to the door, but the soldiers blocked her way. The door slid shut and she began to scream.

The lights went out.

* * *

Donna and Wilf sat, having tea.

"I said so, didn't I?" he was telling her. "Aliens. I said they were real. I just didn't expect them in a little blue box."

"It's bigger on the inside." Donna told him.

"Yeah, but is it safe, then?" Wilf asked her. "This Doctor and Lily, are you safe with them?"

"They're amazing, Gramps. They're just…dazzling." She said. "And never tell them I said that."

"No." Wilf agreed.

"But I'd trust them with my life." Donna told him.

"Hold up." He said. "I thought that was my job."

"You still come first." Donna told him with a smile.

"For God's sake, don't tell your mother." Wilf told her.

"I don't know." She replied. "I mean, this is massive. It's sort of not fair if she doesn't know."

Sylvia chose this moment to walk in.

"Doesn't know what? And who's 'she', the cat's mother?" she asked as she began folding laundry. "And where have you been these past few days, lady, after that silly little trick with the car keys? I phoned Veena and she said she hadn't seen hide nor hair."

"I've been…travelling." Donna told her.

"Oh, hark at her, Michael Palin." Sylvia said. "Are you staying for tea? 'Cause I haven't got anything in. I've been trying to keep your granddad on that macrobiotic diet but he sneaks off and gets pork pies at the petrol station. Don't deny it." She said when he tried to protest. "I've seen the wrappers in the car. Oh, I don't miss a trick."

Donna and Wilf shared a smile.

"Now then, what were you gonna tell me?" she asked. "What don't I know?"

"Nothing." Donna replied. "Just…nothing."

"Good." Sylvia replied. "Right, then, you can sit there and cut out those coupons. Every penny helps. This new mortgage won't pay for itself. Dad, kettle on."

"Yeah, kettle on." Wilf replied, winking at Donna as he got up.

* * *

"UNIT's been watching the Rattigan Academy for ages." Ross told the Doctor and Lily as they drove down the road. "It's all a bit Hitler Youth. Exercise at dawn and special diets."

"Turn left." The ATMOS told them.

"Ross, question." Lily said. "If UNIT thinks that AMOS isn't on the up and up-"

"How come we've got it in the Jeeps?" Ross finished.

"Yeah." Lily replied.

"Ha, tell me about it." Ross said. "They're fitted as standard on all government vehicles. We can't get rid of them until we can prove there's something wrong."

"Turn right."

"Drives me around the bend." Ross continued as he turned the bend into the school drive.

"Oh, nice one." The Doctor complimented him.

"Timed that perfectly." He replied with a smile.

"Ha." The Doctor laughed. "Yeah, you did."

"Okay, Ross just displaced Martha as my favorite member of UNIT." Lily said with a laugh.

"Thank you, ma'am." Ross said.

"Watch it." Lily told him with mock solemnity. "Keep calling me ma'am and you're going to lose your title."

"Yes, ma'am." Ross replied cheekily.

"This is your final destination." ATMOS told them.

"They couldn't have found a better phrase for that?" Lily grumbled as they got out of the car.

They made their way up the pavement to where a young man was watching a group in red sweat suits run by.

"Is it PE?" the Doctor asked. "I wouldn't mind a kick-around. Got me daps on."

"Oh, and I've been trying so hard to cure you of your British tendencies." Lily complained. "Did you really have to use the phrase 'Got me daps on.'?"

"I suppose you're the Doctor." Luke said.

"He is." Lily said, pointing. "I'm Lily."

"Hello." The Doctor said.

"Your commanding officer phoned ahead." Luke told him, not even glancing at Lily.

"Oh, I haven't got a commanding officer." The Doctor replied.

"Ahem." Lily said.

"Except her and Donna." The Doctor added. "Have you? Oh, this is Ross. Say hello, Ross."

"Afternoon, sir." Ross said.

The Doctor ran passed Luke to the doors.

"Let's have a look, then!" he called. "I can smell genius…in a good way."

Lily smiled and joined the Doctor.

* * *

The Doctor wandered into a lab where some students were working, with Lily right behind him.

"Oh, now…that's clever!" he exclaimed. "Look!"

He slipped on his glasses and took a closer look at the experiments.

"Single-molecule fabric." He marveled. "How thin is that?"

"About as thin as a single molecule?" Lily asked.

"You could pack a tent in a thimble." The Doctor continued, ignoring her. "Oh! Gravity simulators! Terraforming, biospheres, nano-tech steel construction! Ha-ha, this is brilliant! But y'know with equipment like this, you could, oh, I dunno…move to another planet or something."

"If only that was possible." Luke replied.

"If only that _were_ possible." The Doctor corrected, removing his glasses. "Conditional clause."

_Please don't provoke the sociopath. _Lily begged.

_But it's so much fun._ The Doctor replied with a grin.

_You've been spending way too much time with me. _Lily told him with an answering grin.

"I think you'd better come with me." Luke told them.

He let them out of the lab and into his office which was full of toys and other stuff.

"You're smarter than the usual UNIT grunts, I'll give you that." He said.

"He called you a grunt." The Doctor said, turning to Ross. "Don't call Ross a grunt, he's nice. We like Ross, don't we, Lily?"

"I love Ross." Lily agreed. "In fact I'm thinking of marrying him. What do you say, Ross?"

"Of course, ma'am." Ross agreed.

"Well, I think I might have something to say about that, but we'll come back to that." The Doctor said, glaring at Lily.

_Love you._ She told him with a grin.

"Look at this place…" she said aloud, looking around. She leaned against the desk and watched the Doctor wander around the room.

"What exactly do you want?" Luke asked, aggravated.

"I was just thinking, what a responsible 18 year old." The Doctor answered. "Inventing zero-carbon cars, saving the world…"

"It takes a man with vision." Luke told him.

"Blinkered vision." Lily said.

"She's right." The Doctor agreed. "'Cause ATMOS means more people driving, more cars, more petrol, end result: the oil's gonna run out faster than ever. The ATMOS system could make things worse."

"Yeah, well, that's tautology." Luke shot back quickly. "You can't say ATMOS 'system' 'cause it stands for Atmospheric Emission System. So you're saying 'Atmospheric Emission System System'. Do you see, Mr. Conditional Clause?"

"It's been a long time since anyone's said no to you, isn't it?" the Doctor asked quietly.

"I'm still right, though." Luke replied.

"Not easy, is it, being smart?" Lily asked. "You look at the world and you connect things-random things-and think, 'why can't anyone else see it? The rest of the world is so slow'."

"Yeah." Luke agreed, studying her.

"And you're on your own." The Doctor pointed out.

"I know." Luke replied.

"But not with this." The Doctor continued, pulling the ATMOS device out of his pocket. "'Cause there's no way you invented this single-handed. It might be Earth technology, but that's like finding a mobile phone in the Middle Ages."

"And whatever he says, that was so not my fault." Lily chimed in. "I have no idea whose phone that was."

"Sure it wasn't." the Doctor said, tossing the device to her. "No, I know what it's like. It's like finding this in someone's front room. Albeit, a very big front room."

He walked towards a large box with a hole cut in it in the middle of the room.

"Why?" Ross asked. "What is it?"

"Yeah, just looks like a thing, doesn't it?" the Doctor replied. "People don't question things. They just think, 'Oh, it's a thing'."

_Why are you blocking me from what you're planning?_ Lily asked suspiciously.

"Leave it alone!" Luke shouted.

"Me, I make these connections." The Doctor said as he walked inside. "And this, to me, looks like…" he pressed some buttons, "…a teleport pod."

He disappeared.

"Damn him." Lily ground out. "Ross, back-up."

Without hesitation, Ross pulled out his back-up gun and tossed it to Lily before pulling out his sidearm and they both pointed the guns at Luke.

"Bring him back." Lily ordered.

* * *

The Doctor appeared in a teleport pod, aboard a space ship populated by short men in battle armor.

"Orbit now holding at 556.3, sector 270."

"Oh." The Doctor said.

The men turned and spotted the Doctor. One pointed a staff at him.

"We have an intruder!" the one holding the staff yelled.

"How did he get in?" the Doctor asked. "In-tru-da window?"

_You're a dead man._ Lily told him. _And not just for that joke._

"Bye-bye!" the Doctor called.

He hit a button and took off running. He disappeared mid step.

* * *

The Doctor appeared, running out of the device.

"Lily, what's with the gun?" he asked, stopping short.

"My dagger didn't have the proper reach." Lily said simply. "Just because you don't like guns doesn't mean they bother me."

"Whatever, we'll address that later." He said. "We need to get out! Luke, you better come with us."

"Too late." Lily said.

One of the aliens appeared behind the Doctor.

"Sontaran!" the Doctor shouted, turning around and using the sonic screwdriver to short out the control panel at the same time. "That's your name, isn't it? How did I know that, eh?"

He put away the screwdriver.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" he asked. "Isn't that worth keeping me alive?"

"I order you to surrender in the name of the Unified Intelligence Taskforce." Ross said, pointing his gun at the alien.

"Sontaran?" Lily asked.

The Doctor nodded.

"Well, that blows." She said, lowering her gun. "This thing's useless."

She tossed it back to Ross, who barely caught it as he lowered his gun.

"What do you mean?" Ross asked. "Ma'am."

"Oh, so close." Lily said.

"Cordalaine signal, am I right?" the Doctor asked the Sontaran.

He turned back to Ross.

"Copper excitation stopping the bullets." He explained to the man.

"How do you know so much?" the Sontaran demanded.

"Well…" the Doctor replied, walking around the room.

"Who is he?" the alien asked Luke.

"He didn't give his name." Luke replied.

The Doctor walked back to where Lily was leaning against the desk, still put out that her gun wouldn't work.

"This isn't typical Sontaran behavior, is it?" he asked. "Hiding? Using teenagers? Stopping bullets? A Sontaran should face bullets with dignity! Shame on you!"

"You dishonor me!" the Sontaran shouted.

"Then show yourself." The Doctor replied calmly.

"I will look into my enemy's eyes." The Sontaran announced.

He removed his helmet to reveal a large, brown, dome-shaped head with no neck.

"Oh, my God." Ross said.

"And your name would be…?" Lily asked.

"General Staal of the Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet." The Sontaran replied. "Staal, the Undefeated."

"Seriously?" Lily asked.

"She's got a point." The Doctor agreed. "That's not a very good nickname. What if you do get defeated? 'Staal, the Not Quite So Undefeated Anymore But Never Mind'?"

"Looks like a potato, a baked potato." Ross scoffed. "A talking baked potato."

"Be nice, Ross." Lily rebuked.

"Yeah, you look like a pink weasel to him." The Doctor added.

He leaned down and picked up a tennis racket and Lily handed him a ball, which he started to bounce on the racket.

"The Sontarans are the finest soldiers in the galaxy." The Doctor told Ross, leaning on his shoulder. "Dedicated to a life of warfare."

He twirled the racket.

"A clone race grown in batches of millions with only one weakness-"

"Sontarans have no weakness!" Staal interrupted.

"No, it's a good weakness." The Doctor protested.

"Aren't you meant to be clever?" Luke demanded. "Only an idiot would provoke him."

"Well, he's a genius." Lily replied. "Whether he's smart or not is still up in the air."

"You chose to be my mate." The Doctor pointed out. "What does that say about you?"

"That I have a history of mental illness in my family?" Lily shot back. "You've met my brother."

"Good point." The Doctor conceded. "But back to the point, Sontarans are fed by a probic vent in the back of the neck. That's their weak spot, which means they always have to face their enemy in battle. Isn't that brilliant? They can never turn their backs!"

"We stare into the face of death!" Staal told him.

"Yeah?" the Doctor replied. "Well, stare at this!"

The Doctor hit the ball with the racket. It flew through the air and bounced off the teleport pod and hit Staal in the probic vent on back of his head. Staal staggered and Lily and the Doctor quickly pushed Ross out of the room.

"Out! Out! Out!" the Doctor shouted.

They ran out of the school and down to the Jeep and jumped in. They quickly drove down the driveway.

A/N: Chapter three. Sorry it took so long. So, you know the drill. Review! Review! Review!

Abbey


	22. The Sontaran Stratagem: The End

Disclaimer: I own your soul. How was that? Too ominous?

Ch. 22:

Martha was strapped to a table with a band across her head.

"Is someone gonna tell me what the hell is going on?" she demanded.

Out of the shadows walked a Sontaran.

"Okay." She told him. "So listen, you're not the first aliens I've met. Just tell me who you are."

"Commander Skorr of the Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet." He replied. "Known as Skorr the Blood-Bringer."

"What have you done to those two?" she asked, nodding to the two soldiers standing peacefully off to the side.

"Simple hypnotic control as with the factory drones." Skorr told her. "But with you, we need something more complex."

He turned to the pool in the middle of the room and it began to bubble. A hand and then an arm rose out of it.

"What is that?" Martha asked, horrified.

"Soon, that will be you." Skorr replied.

The hand sunk back down into the pool.

Martha began to fight against her restraints.

"It is inadvisable to struggle." Skorr told her. "The female has a weaker thorax."

"What are you doing?" Martha demanded.

"Completing mental transfer." Skorr replied. "The clone needs full memory access."

"Clone?" Martha repeated.

She watched in horror as the hand rose from the pool followed by a body wearing her face.

"You can't-" she said.

The clone removed the cord running from the back of her neck.

"That's not-" Martha protested.

"You will sleep, girl." Skorr told her. "Sleep and keep the memories alive. Memories we can use in battle."

Martha fought with everything she had, but finally succumb to sleep.

* * *

The Doctor, Lily and Ross were driving back to London as fast as possible.

"Greyhound Forty to Trap One." The Doctor called into the radio. "Repeat: can you hear me? Over."

"Why is it not working?" Ross asked.

"Because God hates us." Lily replied.

"Must be the Sontarans." The Doctor told him. "If they can trace that, they can isolate the ATMOS."

"Turn left." ATMOS told them.

"Try going right." Lily suggested.

"It says left." Ross replied.

"Hence why I'm telling you to go right." Lily told him.

Ross tried to turn the wheel, but it pulled out of his hands.

"I've got no control." He told them. "It's driving itself. It won't stop."

He tried the doors.

"The doors are locked!" he added.

The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver.

"Argh! It's deadlocked!" he complained. "I can't stop it!"

"I can." Lily said.

"No you can't." The Doctor told her sternly.

"We could shoot it." She suggested.

"Turn Left." ATMOS told them.

The jeep swerved left.

"The thing is wired through the whole car, isn't it?" Lily asked.

"Yep." The Doctor replied.

"Well there goes shooting it." Lily said.

The tires screeched as the jeep swerved off the road.

"We're heading for the river!" Ross yelled.

"No, see this is leather." Lily complained, motioning to her jacket. "If it gets ruined, the gloves are off!"

"ATMOS, are you programmed to contradict my orders?" the Doctor demanded.

"Confirmed." It replied.

"Anything I say, you'll ignore it?" The Doctor asked.

"Confirmed." It replied.

"Well that's no big deal." Lily said. "I do that."

"Then drive into the river!" the Doctor ordered.

Ross and Lily stared at him.

"Are you insane?" Lily yelled at him. "Did you miss the part about my jacket?"

"I order you to drive into the river!" the Doctor yelled, ignoring her. "Do it! Drive into the river!"

The jeep squealed to a stop at the river's edge and the three of them quickly jumped out of the car.

"Turn right." ATMOS ordered. "Left. Left. Right."

"Get down!" the Doctor ordered, pulling Lily down and covering her head.

"Left. Right." The ATMOS called, becoming higher pitched as it went on. "Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right."

Suddenly the panel sparked and began to smoke.

The Doctor lifted his head and looked at the jeep.

"Oh, is that it?" he asked, sounding disappointed.

"I'm sorry their wasn't a larger boom." Lily told him, grinning. "Can I get up now?"

"What?" he asked, looking down. "Oh, yeah, sorry."

He got up and held out his hand to help her up.

"Okay, so here's a question." Lily said, inspecting the jeep. "How do we get back now?"

* * *

The clone of Martha stood in front of the real Martha as she put on her lab coat, while Skorr checked the original.

"Ready and waiting to advance the great Sontaran cause, sir." The clone announced.

"Then go to work." Skorr ordered.

The clone walked out with the two soldiers following her.

* * *

The doorbell rang, and Donna opened the door to find the Doctor and Lily standing on the doorstep.

"Please tell me you have caffeine." Lily told her. "Otherwise, I will not be responsible for what happens to him." She said, pointing to the Doctor.

"You would not believe the day we're having." The Doctor told her.

* * *

The Doctor was examining the Nobles' car. He tapped the ATMOS device underneath before opening the hood. A little whiles away, Donna was on her phone, trying to reach Martha, while Lily was laying on the ground with a glass of cola on her head and her eyes shut.

"I'll requisition us a vehicle." Ross told them.

"Anything without ATMOS." The Doctor told him. "And don't point your gun at people."

"Unless you want to point your gun at him." Lily added, not even bothering to open her eyes. "That's allowed."

"Yes, ma'am." Ross replied before running off.

"I'm going to beat that boy." Lily muttered. "Then we'll see who he's ma'am-ing."

"Is it him?" Wilf asked as he walked out the door. "Is it him? Is it the Doctor?"

He looked at the Doctor under the hood and Lily lying on the ground.

"Ah, it's you!" he exclaimed.

Lily cracked an eye before sitting up quickly.

"Who?" the Doctor asked, moving out from under the hood to spot Wilf. "Oh…it's you!"

He moved over to where they were standing, reaching down to help Lily up as he went.

"What, have you met before?" Donna asked.

"Yeah, Christmas Eve." Wilf told her. "They disappeared right in front of me."

"And you never said?" Donna demanded.

"Well, you never said." Wilf shot back.

He turned to the Doctor and Lily.

"Wilf, sir, ma'am." He told them. "Wilfred Mott. You must be some of those aliens."

"Well, yeah, but don't shout it out." The Doctor said, shaking his hand.

"It's great to meet you." Lily told him, hugging to older man. "Properly, at least."

"Ah, an alien hug." Wilf marveled, making Lily laugh.

"Donna, anything?" the Doctor asked.

"She's not answering." Donna told him.

"That's strange." Lily said. "She almost always answers."

"What is it, 'Sontiruns'?" Donna asked.

"Sontarans." The Doctor corrected. "But there's got to be more to it. They can't be just remote-controlling cars. That's not enough. Is anyone answering?"

"Hold on." Donna said.

She put the phone on speaker phone and held it out.

"Don't tell me…Donna Noble." Martha voice came over the speaker.

"Martha, hold on, the Doctor wants to tell you something." Lily called.

"Martha, tell Col. Mace it's the Sontarans." He told her. "They're in the file, Code Red Sontarans. But if they're inside the factory, tell him not to start shooting. UNIT will get massacred. I'll get back as soon as I can. You got that?"

"Code Red Sontarans." Martha repeated. "Gotcha."

* * *

The Martha-clone closed the phone as Col. Mace approached.

"Dr. Jones, found anything yet?" he asked.

"No, sir." she replied. "Nothing to report."

The clone smiled as Mace continued on and went the other way.

* * *

The Doctor was under the hood, pointing the sonic screwdriver at the ATMOS device.

"We've tried this." Lily told him.

"She's right, Doctor." Donna added. "You've tried sonicking it before. You didn't find anything."

"Yeah, but now I know it's Sontaran." The Doctor replied. "I know what I'm looking for."

"The thing is, Doctor, Miss Lily, Donna is my only grandchild." Wilf said. "You gotta promise me you're gonna take care of her."

"She takes care of us." Lily told him with a smile.

"Oh, yeah, that's my Donna." Wilf replied. "She was always bossing us around even when she was tiny. 'The Little General' we used to call her."

"Yeah." Donna said. "Don't start."

"Oh, that is so what I'm calling you from now on." Lily said with a laugh.

"Shut up." Donna told her.

The Doctor was ignoring them while he concentrated on a section of the device that was covered in holes in a grid pattern.

"And some of the boys she used to turn up with-" Wilf continued, "a different one every week. Yeah, who was that one with the nail varnish?"

"Matthew Richards." Donna replied. "He lives in Kilburn now-with a man."

"Ooo." Lily hissed. "That sucks."

Spikes suddenly shot out of the holes in the device.

"Whoa!" The Doctor said, jumping back. "It's a temporal pocket! I knew there was something else in there. It's hidden just a second out of sync with real time."

"But what's it hiding?" Donna asked.

Sylvia walked up to find them all with their heads under the hood.

"I dunno, men and their cars!" she said. "Sometimes I think if I was a car…"

She spotted the Doctor and Lily.

"Oh, it's you!" She said. "Lily and Doctor-what was it?"

"Yeah, that's me." The Doctor said, waving his hand without looking.

Lily waved weakly, remembering how little Sylvia had like them before.

"Have you met him as well?" Wilf asked.

"Dad, it's the man from the wedding!" Sylvia told him. "When you were laid up with Spanish flu. I'm warning you, last time that couple showed up, it was a distaster!"

Gas began to shoot from the device.

"Get back!" the Doctor shouted, pulling Lily away.

He pointed the screwdriver at the car.

"That'll stop it." He said, still keeping Lily behind him.

The car sparked and the gas stopped.

"I told you!" Sylvia shouted. "He's blown up the car! Who is he anyway? What sort of doctor blows up cars?"

"Oh, not now, Mum!" Donna moaned.

"Oh, should I make an appointment?" she shot back.

She turned and stalked away.

"She really doesn't like us." Lily said.

"That wasn't just exhaust fumes." The Doctor said. "Some sort of gas. Artificial gas."

"And it's aliens, is it?" Wilf asked. "Aliens?"

"But if it's poisonous…" Donna said. "Then they've got poisonous gas in every car on Earth."

The Doctor looked around in horror at all the cars with ATMOS stickers, all around them.

"It's not safe." Wilf said. "I'm gonna get it off the street."

Wilf got in the car and shut the door. Before they could do anything, all the doors locked.

"No, don't!" Donna yelled.

The car started and thick exhaust began to pour out of the tailpipe.

"Turn it off!" Donna ordered, but Wilf shook his head. "Granddad, get out of there!"

She tried to open the door.

"I can't! It's locked!" Wilf yelled.

He held up the key to show her it wasn't in the ignition.

"It's the aliens again!" he told her.

He began to bang on the window as Sylvia walked back out.

"What's he doing?" she demanded. "What's he done?"

"I've isolated it!" the Doctor shouted.

"Good, now get him out!" Lily shouted back.

* * *

Back at the factory, all the UNIT vehicles were releasing the same fumes.

"Turn them off!" Mace ordered. "Turn them off! Turn off all engines!"

"It's all of them, sir!" one soldier reported. "Every single car on the planet!"

* * *

The Martha clone stood with the two soldiers on the docking bay, ignoring all the panic.

"Now we begin." She said. "Let's get to work."

* * *

"There's gas inside the car!" Donna yelled. "He's gonna choke! Doctor!"

The Doctor joined her at the door and tried to open it with the sonic screwdriver.

"It won't open!" the Doctor shouted.

He heard car alarms and turned to see all the other cars emitting gas.

"It's the whole world." Lily whispered.

"Help me!" they heard Wilf say weakly.

The Doctor ran back to check the engine.

Wilf was coughing as Donna looked helplessly through the window. The Doctor yanked out some of the wires but it didn't help.

He moved to stand in the middle of the road as smoke billowed around him.

"Doctor!" Donna yelled.

A/N: The Sontaran Stratagem is done. Next up, Poison Sky. Tell me what you thought.

Abbey


	23. Poison Sky: Imposters and Kidnappings

Disclaimer: I won the Doctor in a game of cards. Granted, I lost everything else, but at least I got him.

Ch. 23:

"He's gonna choke!" Donna shouted.

The Doctor was pulling on the door, trying to get it open, but it wouldn't budge.

"Move." Lily said. "Tell him to get down."

The Doctor turned and saw that Lily's eyes were burning gold. He quickly motioned for Wilf to get down and pulled Donna out of the way.

Lily waved her hand and the door buckled before flying off.

Donna ran to her grandfather as Lily backed away, shaking.

"Lily." Donna called, moving towards her, but the Doctor stopped her.

"Don't touch her." The Doctor told Donna quietly. "She burned off the remaining serum in her body to open the car, so her power is spiking."

"Is she going to be okay?" Donna asked.

"It depends on how much damage it does to her body." The Doctor replied.

They watched helplessly as Lily fell to the ground, her entire body rippling with gold light.

All around them, car's poured out smoke.

* * *

At the factory, it was the same situation.

"All soldiers to a door!" an officer ordered. "Make the factory secure and take positions on the ground floor!"

"Wicowsky, take the soldiers into the factory!" Mace ordered. "Make the area secure. Seal off doors and windows."

All around, soldiers were pushing cars out of the factory.

"We've tried everything, it just won't stop!" a soldier reported.

Mace walked into the field base.

"What have we got?" he asked.

"ATMOS is running wild, sir." A captain replied. "It can't be stopped, it's everywhere. The whole planet."

No one noticed the clone sit down and use Martha's clearance to get into the NATO defense system.

* * *

The gold light finally dissipated and the Doctor made his way to Lily's side.

"Lily?" he asked softly.

"I'm alright." She told him breathing hard.

"I can give you something for the pain." He told her.

Lily shook her head.

"No, I don't want to do any more damage, and if I can't feel the pain, I will." She told him.

"Come on, let's get you up." He said, pulling her to her feet.

"Thank you." Wilf told her gratefully.

Lily just smiled as she leaned into the Doctor's side.

"Wha-?" Sylvia gasped, seeing the door to the car laying about ten feet away from the car. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED OUT HERE?" she screeched, making Lily wince.

"Mum, I can explain." Donna told her.

"Really?" Sylvia asked. "You can explain why the door to our car is no longer attached to the car and why the sky is slowly filling with gas?"

Donna stood there for a moment.

"Okay, I can't explain." Donna told her. "Just go with it."

"Donna!" Sylvia yelled.

"Look, you need to get inside." The Doctor interrupted. "Just try and close off the doors and windows."

Ross pulled up in a black cab.

"Doctor!" he called. "This is all I could find that hasn't got ATMOS."

"You should stay here." The Doctor told Lily. "Recouperate."

He regretted it almost the moment he said it.

"Over your dead body." Lily told him, glaring.

"Yeah, I thought so." The Doctor sighed.

He led her over to the cab and got her inside.

"Donna, you coming?" he called back.

"Yeah!" Donna called back.

"Donna!" Sylvia yelled. "Don't go! Look what happens every time those two show up! Stay with us, please."

"You go my darling!" Wilf told her.

"Dad!" Sylvia screeched.

"Don't listen to her!" Wilf told Donna. "You go with Lily and the Doctor! That's my girl!"

Donna got in the cab, but she looked guilty about leaving her family.

"Bye!" Wilf shouted.

* * *

_The government has declared a state of emergency. People are being told to stay away from all cars with ATMOS devices attached._

* * *

_The gas appears to be toxic. We are warning anyone and everyone, stay away from the cars. Repeat, stay away from your cars._

* * *

"No, just stay out of their way." Lily was saying into her phone as they drove towards the factory. "Why? Because I know just how well Torchwood and UNIT work together and I prefer if we all fought the Sontarans and not each other."

She paused as she listened to Jack talk.

"Just keep the peace." She told him. "And don't provoke UNIT."

She paused again.

"No, that's exactly what you'd do, so don't even try to argue with me." She told him. "And I'm fine. If I get really bad I will go and sit in the TARDIS like a good little girl."

He said something and she laughed.

"You don't provoke UNIT and I'll take it easy, deal?" she said. "I love you, Jack."

He said something and she smiled before hanging up the phone.

"He's going to stay out of it?" the Doctor asked.

"He's got his hands full with the Weevils." Lily told him. "Apparently, they're not thrilled with the growing gas. He's just trying to keep marginal control."

The Doctor nodded and turned back around as they drove up to the factory. The cab stopped and they got out.

"Ross, look after yourself." The Doctor told him. "Get inside the building."

"Will do." Ross replied, picking up a radio. "Greyhound 40 to Trap 1, I have just returned the Doctor and company to base safe and sound, over."

* * *

The clone heard this and began making her way over to Mace.

"Trap 1, received." Mace replied. "Over."

"Sir, message from the Doctor." The clone told him. "He says, Code Red Sontaran."

"All troops, Code Red Sontaran." Mace called over the radio. "Code Red Sontaran."

* * *

"'And company'?" Lily complained as Ross drove away. "I'm not feeling the love, Ross."

"The air is disgusting!" Donna complained.

A gold bubble appeared around them, clearing the air around them.

"Lily." The Doctor sighed.

"What?" she said. "It's just for a moment."

"It's not so bad for me," the Doctor told the girls, "go on, get inside the TARDIS."

"I'm fine." Lily told him. "I'm overflowing with power at the moment. I'm using the excess to filter out the gas."

"Lily…"

"It hurts more to not use it." She told him.

"Fine." He capitulated. "Donna, you go."

He started to walk away before turning around.

"Oh, never given you a key!" he said, pulling one out. "Keep that! Go on, that's yours! Quite a big moment really!"

"Yeah, maybe we can get sentimental after the world's finished choking to death!" Donna replied.

"Good idea!" Lily said sarcastically.

"Where are you going?" she asked them.

"To stop a war!" the Doctor replied before running off, Lily following behind him.

Donna watched them for a moment before making her way to the TARDIS.

* * *

"Right then!" the Doctor called as he and Lily entered the field base. "Here I am, good."

"Yes, because god forbid an intergalactic war take place and the Doctor not be at the center of it." Lily said cheerfully.

"Hush." He told her. "Whatever you do, Colonel Mace, do not engage the Sontarans in battle, there is nothing they like better than a war. Just leave this to me."

"And what are you going to do?" Mace asked.

"I've got the TARDIS." The Doctor replied. "I'm gonna get on board their ship."

"Come on!" Lily said, grabbing the clone's arm as she closed her PDA.

* * *

They ran down the alley to find it empty.

"But…where's the TARDIS?" the clone asked.

"Taste that, in the air." The Doctor said. "Yecch. That sort of metal tang. Teleport exchange. It's the Sontarans, they've taken it. I'm stuck, on Earth like…like an ordinary person. Like a human! How rubbish is that! Sorry, no offence, but come on!"

"Suck it up." Lily told him without pity.

"So what do we do?" the Martha clone asked.

"Well…I mean it's shielded, they could never detect it." The Doctor murmured.

He stared at her.

"What?" the clone asked.

"Did you call your family and Tom?" Lily asked suddenly.

"No, what for?" she asked.

"The gas." Lily replied. "Tell them to stay inside."

_Okay, what did they do to Martha?_ Lily asked.

_That's not Martha._ The Doctor replied.

"Course I will, yeah, but, what about Donna?" the clone asked. "I mean, where's she?"

"Oh, she's gone home." The Doctor replied. "She's not like you, she's not a soldier."

The clone seemed proud at being described as a soldier.

_Okay, that's just weird. _Lily told him.

"Right." The Doctor said aloud. "So, Avanti!"

He took off back to the command center.

* * *

"Change of plan!" the Doctor called as they walked in.

"Good to have you fighting alongside us, Doctor." Mace told him.

"I'm not fighting, I'm not-fighting, as in not hyphen fighting, got it?" the Doctor said.

"To clarify, he's not fighting." Lily told him.

"I'm getting that." Mace replied.

"Now, does anyone know what this gas is yet?" the Doctor asked.

"We're working on it." The clone told him.

"It's harmful, but not lethal until it reaches 80% density." A captain told them. "We're having the first reports of deaths from the center of Tokyo City."

"See, I would've said Detroit." Lily said.

"And who are you?" the Doctor asked the woman.

"Captain Marion Price, sir." The woman said, saluting.

"He doesn't like it when you salute." Lily whispered to the woman.

"Jodrell Bank's traced a signal, Doctor, coming from 5000 miles above the Earth." Mace told him. "We're guessing that's what triggered the cars."

"The Sontaran ship." The Doctor said.

"NATO has gone to DefCon One." Mace told him. "We're preparing a strike."

"Oh, and I was so hoping for a nuclear free life." Lily moaned.

"You can't do that." The Doctor told him. "Missiles won't even scratch the surface. Let me talk to the Sontarans."

"You're not authorized to speak on behalf of the Earth." Mace told him.

"Oh, I think you'll find he is." Lily said, leaning against the wall.

The Doctor pointed the sonic screwdriver at the UNIT system.

"Calling the Sontaran Command Ship under Jurisdiction Two of the Intergalactic Rules of Engagement." he called. "This is the Doctor."

* * *

Donna heard the transmission on the TARDIS's screen. She made her way over and thought she saw something flash across the screen, but it was replaced by the Doctor's face.

"Doctor, I'm here." She called. "Can you hear me?"

* * *

"Doctor, breathing your last?" Staal called as he appeared on the screen.

"My God, they're like trolls." Mace said.

"Nice job on the diplomacy." Lily told him. "And you wonder why he gets to talk to the aliens and you don't."

"So, tell me, General Staal, since when did you lot become cowards?" the Doctor asked the Sontaran.

"How dare you!" Staal shouted.

"Oh, that's diplomacy?" Mace asked.

"I never claimed he was any good at it." Lily replied with a shrug.

"Doctor, you impugn my honor!" Staal continued.

"Yeah, I'm really glad you didn't say belittle, cause then I'd have a field day." The Doctor replied, making Lily chuckle.

_So many jokes, so little time._ She said, making the Doctor smile.

"But poison gas?" the Doctor continued. "That's the weapon of a coward and you know it. Staal, you could blast this planet out of the sky, and yet you're sitting up above watching it die. Where's the fight in that? Where's the honor? Or, are you lot planning something else? Cause this isn't normal Sontaran warfare. What are you lot up to?"

"A general would be unwise to reveal his strategy to the opposing forces." Staal replied.

"War not going well, then?" Lily asked. "Losing a little bit?" She said, holding two fingers a half an inch apart.

"Such a suggestion is impossible." Staal shot back.

"What war?" Mace asked.

"The war between the Sontarans and the Rutans." The Doctor replied. "It's been raging, far out in the stars for 50,000 years. 50,000 years of bloodshed, and for what?"

"For victory." Staal told him. "Sontar-ha!"

"Sontar-ha!" the Sontarans began to chant. "Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha!"

"Doctor." Lily complained.

"Give me a break." He said, rolling his eyes.

He pointed the sonic screwdriver and the channel changed to the cartoon Tommy Zoom.

"This is such a weird show." Lily said, sitting down next to the Doctor.

"Doctor." Mace rebuked. "I would seriously recommend that this dialogue is handled by official Earth representation."

"Call the Prime Minister." Lily told him, annoyed. "Find out who he'd rather talk to the Sontarans, a human who had no clue what they're doing, or the Doctor."

Mace was silent and she smirked.

"That's what I thought." She said, turning back to the screen.

_Be nice._ The Doctor told her.

_You first._ Lily shot back.

He just sighed and switched the channel back.

"Finished?" he asked.

"You will not be so quick to ridicule when you'll see our prize. Behold!" he said, gesturing to the TARDIS behind him. "We are the first Sontarans in history to capture a TARDIS."

The Doctor felt Lily seethe beside him.

"Well." He said. "I feel I should point out that Lily really doesn't like it when people take the TARDIS hostage. But you're right, as prizes go, that's…noble."

* * *

Donna was watching it all on the TARDIS screen.

"As they say in Latin, _Donna_ nobis pacem." The Doctor continued.

"That's me." Donna called. "I'm here!"

"Did you never wonder about its design?" the Doctor asked Staal. "It's a phone box. It contains a phone. A telephonic device for communication. Sort of symbolic, like if only we could communicate. You and I."

"All you have communicated is your distress, Doctor." Staal told him.

"Oh my god." Donna said, picking up Martha's phone and opening it.

"Big mistake though." The Doctor told him. "Showing it to me."

Donna scrolled through the phone looking for Lily's number.

"It's not the right one." She said, glancing at it. "So who do I phone?"

"Cause I've got remote control." The Doctor told Staal, holding up a device.

"Cease transmission!" Staal ordered.

"Doctor, what number are you on?" Donna called.

The screen went black.

"You haven't even got a number!" she yelled.

* * *

"Oh, well." The Doctor said, getting up.

He held out a hand to Lily.

"My Lady." He said gallantly, making her laugh.

"My Lord." She replied, taking his hand and standing up.

"That's achieved nothing." Mace told them.

"Oh, you'd be surprised." The Doctor replied.

A/N: First chapter of Poison Sky is done. Sorry for the wait between chapters, but I am without internet at home, so I have to wait to post. I will get them out as fast as possible. So tell me what you thought. And just think, more time between means more time to review!

Warning: Here there be spoilers. Proceed at your own risk.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Question: What do you guys think it's going to be like next season with two married companions?

I know I think it's great because it means my storyline continues to work, but what about you guys?

Abbey


	24. Poison Sky: Deaths and Bravery

Disclaimer: The BBC has put out a hit on me. I don't understand. All I did was refuse to sell back the Doctor.

Ch. 24:

"_The United Nations has issued a directive worldwide, telling urban populations to stay indoors. Those in rual areas are being ordered to stay away from all major cities. There are reports from every country in Europe of thousands of people walking across country to escape. And on the Eastern seaboard of America, it's said to be reminiscent of Dunkirk, with boats taking refugees out into the Atlantic."_

* * *

"_With the freeways blocked by ATMOS cars, populations of major cities are now walking across open country to escape the fumes. It is being likened to a Biblical plague. Some are calling this the End of Days."_

* * *

Donna was thrown to the floor as the Sontarans moved the TARDIS away.

"But what do I do?" she wondered aloud.

She hesitated before dialing a number.

"Mum?" she called when the call was picked up. "You all right?"

"Donna!" Sylvia called. "Where are you sweetheart?"

"Is that her?" Donna heard Wilf ask in the background.

"Oh, just finish the job." Sylvia ordered. "Your granddad's sealing us in. He's sealing the windows. Our own house, and we're sealed in! All those things they said about pollution and ozone and carbon, they're really happening aren't they?"

"There's people working on it, Mum." Donna told her. "They're gonna fix it, I promise."

"Oh, like you'd know, you're so clever?" Sylvia shot back.

"Oh, don't start." Donna said. "Please, don't."

"I'm sorry." Sylvia apologized. "I wish you were here."

"Now, come on Sylvia, look. That doesn't help." Wilf said, taking the phone from his daughter. "Donna? Where are you?"

"It's sort of hard to say." Donna told him. "You all right?"

"Yeah, fighting fit, yeah." Wilf assured her. "Are they with you, the Doctor and Miss Lily?"

"Oh, the Doctor!" Sylvia scoffed in the background.

"No." Donna answered. "I'm all on my own."

"Look, you promised they were gonna look after you." Wilf told her.

"They will, Gramps." Donna replied. "There's…something they need me to do. I just don't know what."

"Well, I mean, the whole place is covered, the whole of London they're saying and the whole, the whole world." Wilf told her. "It's the scale of it, Donna. I mean, how can two people stop all that?"

"Trust me." Donna said. "They can do it."

"Yeah, well if they don't, you tell them they'll have to answer to me." He warned her.

Donna chuckled.

"I will." She told him. "Just as soon as I see them, I'll tell them."

"Huh." Wilf said.

Donna hung up the phone.

* * *

The Doctor snatched a clipboard out of the clone's hands.

"There's carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, but 10% unidentified." She told him. "Some sort of artificial heavy element we can't trace. You ever seen anything like it?"

"Must be something the Sontarans invented." The Doctor replied. "This isn't just poison, they need this gas for something else. What could that be?"

"Launch grid online and active." Price told Mace.

"Positions ladies and gentlemen." Mace ordered. "Defcon One initiatives in progress."

"What?" Lily yelped. "We told you not to launch!"

"The gas is at 60% density." Mace told them. "80% and people start dying. We've got no choice."

"Launching in 60, 59, 58, 57, 56…" Price announced. "Worldwide nuclear grid now coordinating. 54, 53…"

"You're making a mistake, Colonel!" the Doctor insisted. "For once, I hope the Sontarans are ahead of you."

"North America , online." Price announced.

"Jack, get everyone inside." Lily said into her phone. "They're launching a nuclear strike. They won't listen to us."

"United Kingdom, online." Price continued. "France, online. India, online. Pakistan, online. China, online. North Korea, online. All systems locked and coordinated. Launching in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5,…"

"God save us." Mace said.

"I think you'll find God has abandoned us." Lily replied.

"…4, 3, 2, 1…" Price continued.

The Doctor watched as the clone pressed a button on her PDA.

"0." Price finished.

The screens shut off.

"What is it?" Mace demanded. "What happened? Did we launch? Well, did we?"

"Negative, sir." Price replied, confused. "The launch codes have been wiped, sir. It must be the Sontarans."

"Can we override it ?" Mace asked.

"Trying it now, sir." Price replied.

Lily put the phone back to her ear.

"The Sontarans bought us some time." She told Jack. "I'll call you back."

She hung up the phone and moved to the Doctor's side as he walked up to the clone.

"Missiles wouldn't even dent that ship." Lily said softly.

"No, they wouldn't. So why are the Sontarans so keen to stop you?" he asked the clone. "Any ideas?"

"How should I know?" the clone replied.

A second later, Ross's voice came over the radio.

"Enemy within!" he called. "At arms! Greyhound 40 declaring absolute emergency. Sontarans within factory grounds, east corridor grid six."

"Absolute emergency, declaring Code Red." Mace replied. "All troops, Code Red!"

"Get them out of there!" Lily yelled at him.

"All troops, open fire!" Mace ordered, ignoring her.

"They guns aren't working." Ross replied a second later. "Inform all troops, standard weapons do not work."

"Get him out!" Lily screamed, her eyes flashing as her control slipped. "Get them out now!"

"Tell the Doctor and Lily it's that Cordolaine signal." Ross called. "You're the only ones who can stop them, ma'am."

They heard the shooting stop and there was silence.

"Greyhound 40, report." Mace called. "Over. Greyhound 40, report. Greyhound 40, report!"

"He wasn't Greyhound 40, his name was Ross." The Doctor ground out as he held Lily. "Now listen to us and GET THEM OUT OF THERE!"

"Trap One to all stations. Retreat." Mace ordered. "Order imperative, immediate retreat!"

Lily pulled away from the Doctor and slapped Mace across the face, putting her whole body behind it, with her eyes swirling grey and gold.

"He was just a child." She hissed as he staggered. "The Sontarans may have pulled the trigger, but you're the one who killed him."

She staggered away and slid down the wall.

The Doctor took out his screwdriver and scanned her as he kneeled next to her.

"The serum is gone from your system." He told her quietly.

She nodded and he pulled out a vial and syringe.

"Do you want me to-?" he asked, motioning to the vial.

She shook her head.

"I'm fine." She told him. "Go back to work."

She slowly took the vial and he nodded before walking back to Mace.

"They've taken the factory." Mace told him quietly.

"Why?" he asked. "They don't need it. Why attack now? What are they up to? Times like this, I could do with the Brigadier. No offence."

"None taken." Mace replied. "Sir Alistair's a fine man, if not the best. Unfortunately he's stranded in Peru."

"Launch grid back online." Price announced.

The computer screen turned back on to show a map of the world. The clone pressed a button on her PDA and the screen went black again.

"They're inside the system, sir." Price reported. "It's coming from within UNIT itself."

"Trace it." Mace ordered. "Find out where it's coming from, and quickly. Gas levels?"

"66% in major population areas." Price told him. "And rising."

"Why are they defending the factory only after we were inside?" Mace asked.

"Because they wanted UNIT here." The Doctor told him. "You gave them something they needed. Something now hidden inside the factory. Something precious."

"Then we've got to recover it." Mace said. "This Cordolaine signal thing, how does it work?"

"The bullets." Lily said, moving to the Doctor's side. She looked worn out. "It causes expansion of the copper shell."

"Excellent." Mace said. "I'm on it."

He got up to leave, but Lily stopped him.

"Colonel." She said softly. "I'm sorry for hitting you. It was out of line."

He nodded and left.

"For the billionth time, you can't fight Sontarans!" the Doctor called after him, finally catching up with what he was doing.

He wrapped his arm around Lily.

"Come on." He told her. "Let's sit you down."

He led her to Mace's office and closed the door.

"Catch." Lily said, throwing her phone to him as she sank into a chair.

"Ta." He replied.

He quickly dialed the phone and put it on speaker phone.

"What's happened, where are you?" Donna demanded when she picked up.

"Still on Earth." The Doctor told her. "But don't worry, I've got my secret weapon."

"What's that?" Donna asked.

"You, babe." Lily replied, leaning back and closing her eyes.

"Oh. Somehow that's not making me happy." Donna replied. "Can't you just zap us down to Earth with that remote thing?"

"Yeah, I haven't got a remote, though I really should." The Doctor told her.

"Normally, I could just jump up to you, but we had to bind my powers again." Lily told her.

"Why?" Donna asked.

"The Doctor doesn't like it when I bring buildings crashing down around us." Lily replied. "I'll explain later."

"The point is, we need you on that ship." The Doctor told her. "That's why I made them move the TARDIS. I'm sorry, but you've got to go outside."

"But there's Sonterruns out there." Donna protested.

"Sontarans, babe." Lily corrected.

"They'll all be on battle stations right now." The Doctor explained. "They don't walk around having coffee."

"Their loss." Lily muttered.

"I can talk you through it." The Doctor told her.

"But what if they find me?" Donna asked.

"I know, and I wouldn't ask, but there's nothing else I can do." He replied. "The whole planet is choking, Donna."

* * *

Donna took a deep breath and walked towards the door.

"What d'you need me to do?" she asked.

"The Sontarans are inside the factory which means they've got a teleport link with the ship," he told her, "but they'll have deadlocked it. I need you to reopen the link."

"But, I can't even mend a fuse." Donna protested.

"I don't let other people talk about you like that." Lily told her sternly. "What makes you think I'm going to let you talk like that?"

"You can do this." The Doctor assured her. "I promise."

Donna opened the door to see a Sontaran standing a few feet away and quietly closed the door.

"There's a Sonterrun…Sontaran." She told them.

"Did he see you?" the Doctor asked.

"No, he's got his back to me." Donna replied.

"Right, Donna, listen, on the back of neck on his collar, there's a sort of plug, like a hole." The Doctor told her. "The Probic Vent. One blow to the Probic Vent knocks 'em out."

"But he's gonna kill me." Donna protested.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor told her. "I swear I'm so sorry. But you've got to try."

"You can do this." Lily assured her.

Donna lowered the phone and picked up the mallet the Doctor used on the console before moving to the door. She quietly opened it and snuck up to the Sontaran. She raised the mallet and brought it crashing down onto the vent.

"Back of the neck!" she said triumphantly, raising the phone.

"Now then, you gotta find the external junction feed to the teleport." The Doctor told her.

"What…what's it look like?" she asked.

"A circular panel on the wall." He told her. "Big symbol on the front, like a, like a letter T with a horizontal line through it. Or, or two Fs back to back."

"Well, there's a door." Donna told him.

"Should be a switch by the side." He replied.

"Yeah there is." She said. "But it's Sontaran-shaped, you need three fingers."

"You've got three fingers, hon." Lily told her.

"Oh, yeah!" she said sheepishly.

She put her hand into the pattern and the door opened.

"I'm through." She reported.

* * *

"Oh, you are brilliant, you are." The Doctor told her, practically kissing the phone.

"When you get back, I'm kissing you, and you can't stop me." Lily told her, smiling.

"Oh, shut up you two." Donna replied. "Right. T with a line through it."

* * *

"Mace is back." Lily whispered, nodding to the outer room.

"Got to go." The Doctor told Donna. "Keep the line open!"

"Counter-attack!" Mace said as the couple walked out.

"I said you don't stand a chance!" the Doctor told him.

"I take it back." Lily told him. "It wasn't that I shouldn't have hit you, I should have hit you harder!"

"Positions." Mace ordered. "That means everyone!"

He threw two gas masks to the Doctor, who caught them and handed one to Lily.

"You're not going without me!" the clone said.

"Wouldn't dream of it." The Doctor replied.

The Doctor and Lily exchanged a look before heading outside.

A/N: Second chapter done. Thank God for wireless at work. Lol.

Abbey


	25. Poison Sky: Clones and Teleports

Disclaimer: The hit man came after me today. I guess he wasn't prepared for Jack's Compact Laser Deluxe. I really probably should send flowers.

Ch. 25:

The group stood outside the ATMOS factory as the UNIT personal gathered. Everyone was wearing gas masks, so the Doctor shrugged and put his on, motioning for Lily to do the same. At the same time, Mace was trying to show him a gun.

"Latest firing stock." Mace was saying. "What do you think, Doctor?"

"Are you my mummy?" the Doctor asked, tilting his head.

Lily reached up and smacked him across the back of the head.

"If you two could concentrate." Mace said. "Bullets with a rad-steel coating, no copper surface should overcome the Cordolaine signal."

"Small problem." Lily pointed out. "Humans-bullets. Sontarans-lasers. I'm sensing a slight power discrepancy."

"That and you can't even see in this fog and the night vision doesn't work." The Doctor pointed out.

"Thank you Doctor, Lily. Thank you for your lack of faith." Mace shot back. "But this time, I'm not listening."

"Oh and you've listened so closely up to this point." Lily replied sarcastically.

Mace ignored her as he took off his mask and addressed the soldiers.

"Attention, all troops!" he called. "Sontarans might think of us as primitive. As does every passing species with an axe to grind. They make a mockery of our weapons, our soldiers, our ideals. But no more! From this point on, it stops. From this point on, the people of Earth fight back and we show them! We show the warriors of Sontar what the human race can do! Trap One to Hawk Major! Go, go, go!"

Everyone looked up as a loud sound came from the sky. The fog began to clear and a ship appeared.

"It's working!" Mace yelled. "The area's clearing. Engines to maximum!"

"The Valiant." Lily whispered, horrified.

She quickly ripped off her mask, her breathing quick and shallow.

"Lily?" the Doctor asked her, also removing his mask.

"UNIT Carrier Ship Valiant reporting for du-" Mace broke off, noticing Lily's distress. "Is she alright?" he asked.

"Lily?" the Doctor asked again.

"I'm fine." Lily said, looking anywhere but the giant ship. "I just haven't seen it since…since him."

"The Master." The Doctor finished.

"I'll be fine." Lily repeated. "Just don't make me go aboard."

"That won't be necessary, Miss Lily." Mace assured her.

"I will give you Colonel, that is an inspired idea." Lily told him, recovering slightly.

The Doctor nodded his agreement.

"Getting a taste for it?" Mace asked.

"No, not at all." The Doctor replied quickly. "Not me."

"I'm always up for a good fight I can win." Lily disagreed. "I just don't particularly like lost causes."

"Well, what do you think of our chances now?" Mace asked.

"You're getting there." Lily told him.

"Valiant, fire at will!" Mace ordered.

The Valiant opened fire on the factory and at the same moment, the soldiers attacked on the ground. This time, the Sontarans were the ones being cut down.

"East and north secure." Mace reported. "Doctor?"

The Doctor nodded and Mace rushed away.

Lily reached over and took the phone that was still in the Doctor's hand.

"Donna, hold on." She told the other woman. "We're coming."

The clone appeared at their side.

"Shouldn't we follow the Colonel?" she asked.

"Nah, you, Lily, and me, Martha Jones." The Doctor replied. "Just like old times!"

She quickly pushed a button on the PDA again as the Doctor used the sonic screwdriver to find their way.

"Alien technology, this way!" he announced, leading them away.

* * *

The Doctor led them down into the basement.

"Kinda quite, no?" Lily asked.

"Sontarans aren't capable of resisting a battle." The Doctor replied. "Here we go."

He opened the door and Lily stepped back to allow the clone to go first. Inside they found the real Martha still strapped to a table, asleep. The Doctor quickly ran to her side.

"Ooh, Martha, I'm so sorry." He told her, checking her pulse. "Still alive."

The clone pulled a gun and held it on him, but he barely acknowledged it.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" he asked.

"Wish you carried a gun now?" she shot back.

"Not at all." The Doctor replied. "But if I was you, I'd wish I'd let Lily come in first."

The clone froze as she felt Lily press the blade of her dagger against her throat.

"I've been stopping the nuclear launch all this time." She gloated, slowly lowering the gun.

"Um, yeah, we know." Lily told her.

"You were doing exactly what we wanted you to do." The Doctor told her. "I needed to stop the missiles, just as much as the Sontarans. I'm not having Earth start an interstellar war."

"I'm just not a big fan of nuclear fallout." Lily told her. "The point still stands, though, you're a triple agent!"

"When did you know?" the clone asked.

"What, you?" the Doctor asked. "Oh, right from the start. Reduced iris contraction, slight thinning of the hair follicles on the left temple. And, frankly, you smell. You might as well have worn a T-shirt saying 'clone'. Although, maybe not in front of Captain Jack. You remember him, don't you? Cause you've got all her memories. That's why the Sontarans had to protect her, to keep you inside UNIT. Martha Jones is keeping you alive."

He quickly reached down and ripped the device from Martha's head. She quickly woke up with a scream and Lily quickly backed away as the clone fell to her knees in agony. The Doctor kicked the gun away and then hugged the real Martha tightly as Lily made her way over.

"It's all right." He told her soothingly. "It's all right, I'm here. We're here. We've got you."

"There was this thing, Doctor, this alien, with this head…" Martha babbled.

The phone in Lily's pocket rang and she quickly handed it to the Doctor.

"Oh, blimey I'm busy." The Doctor complained as he answered the call. "Got it?"

"Yes." Donna told him. "Now hurry up!"

Lily quickly pulled a shaking Martha into her arms and held her tightly. Martha returned the embrace just a fiercely.

"Take off the covering." the Doctor told Donna. "All the blue switches inside, flick them up like a fuse box. And that should get the teleport working."

Martha spotted the clone over Lily's shoulder.

"Oh, my God." She gasped. "That's me."

The Doctor handed Martha his coat before wandering over to the teleport and starting to work on it, while Lily tried to comfort Martha.

"I'm so sorry." She told the other woman.

"For what?" Martha asked.

"That it took us so long to get to you." Lily told her. "That we let you get taken to begin with. Seems like we're always getting you captured."

"It's not your fault." Martha told her. "I choose to do this. Plus you two are the ones who always rescue me, so what have I got to complain about?"

She hugged her friend again before getting up and moving over to her clone.

"Don't touch me!" the clone spat as Martha kneeled next to her.

"It's not my fault." Martha told her. "The Sontarans created you. But…you had all my memories."

"You've got a brother, sister, mother, and father." The clone said.

"If you don't help me, they're going to die." Martha told her.

"You love them." The clone said.

"Yes." Martha replied. "Remember that?"

"The gas!" the Doctor shouted from the teleport pod. "Tell us about the gas!"

"Will you shut up and keep working on what you're supposed to be doing?" Lily shouted back

"He's the enemy!" the clone protested.

"Then tell me." Martha told her. "It's not just poison, what's it for? Martha, please!"

The clone hesitated.

"Caesofine concentrate." She finally told them. "It's one part of Bosteen, two parts Probic 5."

"Clonefeed!" the Doctor called. "It's clonefeed!"

"What's clonefeed?" Martha asked.

"Like amniotic fluid for Sontarans." The Doctor told her.

"That's why they're not invading." Lily said. "They're converting the atmosphere, changing the planet into a clone world."

"Yep, Earth becomes a great big hatchery." The Doctor said. "Cause the Sontarans are clones, that's how they reproduce. Give 'em a planet this big, they'll create billions of new soldiers. That gas isn't poison, it's food!"

He turned back to the teleport.

"My heart…" the clone said weakly. "It's getting slower."

Martha looked at Lily, who shook her head.

"There's nothing I can do." Martha told her clone.

"In your mind, you've got so many plans." The clone whispered. "There's so much that you wanna do."

"And I will." Martha replied. "Never do tomorrow what you can do today, my mum says. Cause…"

"Cause you never know how long you've got." The clone finished. "Martha Jones…all that life."

She closed her eyes and she was gone. Martha slowly reached over and removed her engagement ring from the clone's finger.

* * *

"Doctor." Donna called, getting his attention again. "Blue switches done."

The door slid open and a group of Sontarans marched in.

"But they've found me!" she yelled.

"Now!" the Doctor called.

* * *

He pointed the screwdriver at the teleport pod and it activated. A second later, Donna appeared. She quickly ran to the Doctor and hugged him before letting go and hugging Lily.

"Have I ever told you how much I hate you two?" she asked, holding Lily tight.

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked, sounding offended. "We're awesome!"

"Hold on, hold on." The Doctor called. "Gotta bring the TARDIS down."

"Oh yeah." Lily said as she felt the time ship reappear in the alley. "You have so much groveling to do." She winced. "Okay so you're not the only one."

"Right, now." The Doctor said. "Martha, you coming?"

"What about this nuclear launch thing?" Martha asked, holding up the PDA.

"No is a really good thing in this case." Lily told her. "Nuclear holocaust, not so much."

"Good point." Martha agreed, pressing the button.

Donna finally caught sight of the clone on the ground.

"But there's…two of them." She sputtered.

"Yeah, long story." The Doctor told her, leading them into the teleport pod. "Here we go. The old team, back together. Well, the new team."

"We're not going back to that ship!" Donna protested.

"No, no, no, no." the Doctor told her. "I needed to get the teleport working so that we could get to…"

He pressed the button and they were teleported away.

"…here!" he said as they appeared. "The Rattigan Academy, owned by…"

"The maniac holding a gun on us." Lily said, pointing. "This just keeps getting better and better."

A/N: So I am horribly, horribly disappointed in all of you! Not one review on the last chapter? Seriously? That was enough to send me spiraling into a deep black pit of despair! And when we're so close to a hundred? Seriously, you guys were a serious let down. I think I may disown you all.

Now, because you all failed me, I am requiring at least 8 reviews before I even think of posting a new chapter. That's right, I am holding Savin' Me hostage. Eight reviews or the cute, perky Time Lord/Human gets it. Don't test me.

Abbey


	26. Poison Sky: Fire and Unexpected Trips

Disclaimer: The BBC called in a SWAT team. That's just cheating.

Ch. 26:

Luke was standing there, holding a gun on them.

"Don't tell anyone what I did!" he ordered. "It wasn't my fault, the Sontarans lied to me, they…"

The Doctor walked forward and grabbed the gun out of his hands.

"If I see one more gun…" he threatened, throwing the gun to the side.

"You know, that coat, sort of works." Donna told Martha as the girls walked out of the teleporter.

"I feel like a kid in my dad's clothes." Martha admitted.

"Oh, well if you're calling him dad, you're definitely getting over him." Donna replied, making Lily laugh out loud.

She wandered over to the window and her laughter died away.

"Doctor, it's getting worse." She called. "Whatever you're going to do, do it quick."

The Doctor ran out of the room. The girls glanced at each other before following him, Lily grabbing Luke by the collar and dragging him with them.

"What's he doing?" Martha asked.

Lily shrugged.

"He's not sharing with me." She told her. "Which usually means, whatever it is, it's incredibly dangerous."

"Like going after the Daleks by himself?" Martha asked.

"Yeah, that would be a good example." Lily replied. "If he tries to knock me out again, shoot him."

"Like that's a good idea." Donna said.

"I'm not saying, shoot him dead." Lily explained. "I'm saying shoot him the leg or the arm or some other non-vital part of him."

Donna opened her mouth, but Lily cut her off before she could say anything.

"Yes, that part is vital." Lily told her sternly. "To me. I'm sure it matters to him also, but that's less important."

Donna laughed while Martha tried to hide her amusement.

"I am standing right here, you know." The Doctor pointed out.

Lily glanced at him.

"And your point is?" she asked.

The Doctor shook his head.

"That's why the Sontarans had to stop the missiles, they were holding back." He said, choosing to pretend like the last few minutes conversation hadn't happened. "Because, caesofine gas is volatile, that's why they had to use you to stop the nuclear attack. Ground-to-air engagement could've sparked off the whole thing."

"What, like set fire to the atmosphere?" Martha asked.

"Please keeping hitting no." Lily requested.

"Yeah. They need all the gas intact to breed their clone army." The Doctor said. "And all the time we had Luke here in his dream factory."

"Planning a little trip, were we?" Lily asked, shaking him by the collar slightly.

"They promised me a new world." He said morosely.

"You were building equipment, ready to terraform El Mondo Luko so that humans could live there and breathe the air with this!" he said, revealing a large device. "An atmospheric converter."

The Doctor picked the device and ran out, the girls following behind and Lily still dragging Luke.

"That's London." Donna gasped, spotting the gas-bound city. "You can't even see it. My family's in there."

"If I can get this on the right setting…" the Doctor said, setting the converter down.

"Doctor, hold on, you said the atmosphere would ignite." Martha pointed out.

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" he replied.

He pressed a button and a pulse shot out of the device and into the sky, setting it on fire. The Doctor took Lily's hand and held it tight.

_I really hope you don't burn off the atmosphere._ She told him.

_Me too._ He agreed.

"Please, please, please, please, please, please, please…." He whispered.

Suddenly, the fire cleared, revealing the normal blue sky.

Lily threw her arms around him and kissed him before hugging him tightly.

_Congratulations._ She told him. _You didn't destroy the world._

_Not yet. _ He replied.

"He's a genius!" Luke marveled.

"Just brilliant." Martha agreed.

"Now we're in trouble." The Doctor said, grabbing the converter and running back into the building. Everyone followed.

He ran straight to the teleport and set down the converter.

"Right, so…" he said, turning back to them. "Donna, thank you. For everything. Martha, you too. Oh…so many times. I want you two to look after Lily. Don't let her do anything stupid. Luke, do something clever with your life."

"You're saying goodbye." Donna said.

"Sontarans are never defeated." The Doctor told her. "They'll be getting ready for war. And, well, you know, I've recalibrated this for Sontaran air, so…"

"You're gonna ignite them." Martha said.

"You'll kill yourself." Donna told him.

"Just send that thing up, on its own." Martha added. "I don't know…put it on a delay."

"I can't." he told them.

"Why not?" Donna demanded.

"He has to give them a choice." Lily said, speaking up. "He wouldn't be the Doctor if he didn't."

She walked up to him.

"But you don't get to say goodbye." She told him.

"Lily…"

"No." she interrupted. "You'll come back. You always come back."

"Not this time." He replied.

She shook her head.

"You always come back." She told him. "You always come back to me."

He laid his hand on her cheek before kissing her swiftly, pressing the button and disappearing at the same moment.

When he was gone, she fell to her knees with a gasp and Donna and Martha came forward, wrapping her in a hug.

* * *

The Doctor appeared in the Sontaran ship.

"Oh, excellent!" Staal rejoiced when he spotted the Doctor.

"General Staal, you know what this is." The Doctor said, motioning to the converter. "But there's one more option. You can go. Just leave. Sontaran High Command need never know what happened here."

"Your stratagem would be wise if Sontarans feared death." Staal told him. "But we do not. At arms!"

"I'll do it, Staal." The Doctor yelled. "My mate is down there. If it saves her and that planet, I'll do it."

"A warrior doesn't talk, he acts!" Staal told him.

"I am giving you the chance to leave." The Doctor told him.

"And miss the glory of this moment?" Staal shot back.

"All weapons targeting Earth, sir." Came over the intercom. "Firing in 20."

"I'm warning you!" the Doctor shouted.

"And I salute you!" Staal replied. "Take aim!"

"Shoot me, I'm still gonna press this!" the Doctor told him. "You'll die, Staal."

"Knowing that you die, too." He told the Doctor.

"Firing in 15." A voice said over the loudspeaker.

"For the glory of Sontar!" Staal shouted. "Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha!"

"Sontar-ha!" the Sontarans began to chant. "Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha!"

"I'll do it!" the Doctor shouted.

* * *

Back on Earth, the three girls were sitting huddled together as Luke messed with the teleport bad.

"Can't you just jump to him?" Martha asked. "I've seen you do it."

"No." Donna answered, surprising Martha. "The Doctor wouldn't want you to risk causing more damage just to rescue him."

"What are you talking about?" Martha demanded.

"I'm dying, Martha." Lily told her, her voice monotone. "My body was damaged when I shot off the Master's device on the Valiant. I've been taking the serum the Doctor came up with everyday and pain killers to keep going as normally as possible."

"How long do you have?" Martha asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to worry." Lily told her. "I just wanted to live out my last few months."

"Months?" Martha asked, horrified.

Lily just leaned her head against her friend's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she asked Luke.

"Something clever." Luke replied.

Before they could stop him, he pressed a button and disappeared.

* * *

On the ship, the Doctor disappeared and Luke appeared in his place.

"Sontar-ha!" the Sontarans were still chanting. "Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha! Sontar-ha!"

"10," came the voice over the loudspeaker, "9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3…"

The Sontarans stopped chanting as they spotted Luke.

"Sontar?" Luke asked sarcastically. "Ha!"

He slammed his hand down on the button of the converter.

"…1."

The ship exploded.

* * *

The Doctor appeared in the teleport pod, looking confused. He stepped forward and sat down on the edge. Martha ran to him and nestled into his side, hugging him tightly. Donna walked over and gave him a hard smack before sitting down next to him and hugging tightly also.

Lily walked over and stood in front of him. He gently disentangled himself from the two woman before standing in front of his mate.

"I told you you'd come back." She told him before throwing her arms around him.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, burying his face in her neck.

"I love you." He told her softly.

She pulled back and grasped his face between her hands.

"I love you too." She told him before kissing him.

He gladly returned the kiss.

* * *

Sylvia walked down the street with two big bags.

"Morning." She called.

"Morning." A neighbor called back.

"Walked all the way, won't catch me driving." Sylvia told her.

The neighbor got in her car and pulled the ATMOS sticker from her rear window.

Sylvia walked into the house and found Donna and Wilf sitting in the kitchen.

"The streets are half-empty." She told them. "People still aren't driving. There're kids on bikes all over the place, it's wonderful. Unpack that lot, I'm gonna see if Suzette's all right."

She put the bags on the counter and left.

"I won't tell her." Wilf told Donna after Sylvia was out of earshot. "Best not. Just keep it as our little secret, eh?"

"Yeah." Donna replied.

"And you go with them, that wonderful Doctor and his beautiful Lily." He told her.

"I think Lily would take issue with being labeled as his." Donna said with a laugh.

"Yeah." Wilf agreed, laughing. "But you go and see the stars. And then bring a bit of 'em back for your old Gramps."

She nodded before getting up and kissing his head.

"Love you." She told him.

She turned and walked out, fighting her tears.

* * *

The Doctor found Lily standing beneath the Valiant.

_You okay?_ He asked.

She nodded without turning around.

He walked up and wrapped his arms around her and was heartened when she didn't pull away, but leaned into him.

_I've lost so much._ She told him. _My family, the other Doctor, Koschei… But I realized something today._

_What?_ He asked.

_If I try to stop you from taking the risks you take just so I can keep you a little longer, I'm still losing you. _Lily told him. _Because those risks make you who you are. Make you who I love._

_I wish I could tell you that I won't do it again…_

_But you will._ Lily said with a smile.

He leaned down and rested his chin on her shoulder.

_I do promise that if it is within my power, I'll always come back to you._ He told her.

_I know you will._

They stood there in silence, gazing up at the Valiant.

* * *

Donna walked into the TARDIS to find Martha and Lily sitting on the jump seat, watching the Doctor wander around the console.

"How were they?" Martha asked when she spotted Donna.

"Oh, same old stuff." Donna answered, wiping off a tear and trying to sound casual. "They're fine. So! You gonna come with us? We're not exactly short of space."

"You're room is still the same." Lily added.

"Oh, I have missed all this, but, you know. I'm good here." She replied, smiling. "Back at home. And I'm better for having been away. Besides," she showed her engagement ring, "someone needs me. Never mind the universe, I've got a great big world of my own now!"

She hugged Lily one last time before getting up and walking to the door.

Before she could reach it, it slammed shut and TARDIS shook wildly as it went into flight. They all clung to objects, trying to stay upright.

Under the console, the jar holding the Doctor's hand bubbled wildly.

"What?" the Doctor shouted. "What?"

"Doctor, don't you dare!" Martha shouted at him.

"It's not him!" Lily yelled. "He didn't touch anything! We're in fight and it's not us in control!"

"Where are we going?" Donna shouted.

"I don't know, it's out of control!" the Doctor shouted back.

"Doctor, just listen to me!" Martha ordered. "You take me home, take me home right now!"

A/N: Poison Sky is done. The Doctor's Daughter starts.

Okay, so you guys did much better. We are over 100 reviews and WickedSweet123 gets a special shout out for going back and reviewing on the chapter of failure. WickedSweet123, you get a cookie. Or you would if I could afford a cookie or send it to you. So, I'm giving you a cookie in my mind. There you go, enjoy.

Keep the reviews coming!

Abbey


	27. The Doctor's Daughter: Unplanned

Disclaimer: The SWAT Team swarmed, but I escaped. Anyone willing to hide me?

Ch. 27:

The Doctor, Lily, Donna, and Martha all held on for dear life as the TARDIS flew through the vortex. The Doctor desperately tried to regain control, but the console just sparked. Donna and Martha were screaming and yelling as Lily and the Doctor still tried to get control.

"What the hell's it doing?" Donna demanded.

"Controls aren't working!" the Doctor told her.

He tried again and sparks flew again. He fell to the floor in front of his hand.

"I don't know where we're going, but my old hand's very excited about it!" he told them.

"That's great." Lily told him sarcastically. "Can it tell us where we're going?"

"I thought that was just some freaky alien thing!" Donna interjected. "You telling me it's yours?"

"Well…" the Doctor said.

"It got cut off." Martha told her. "He grew a new one!"

"You are completely…impossible!" Donna told him.

"Not impossible, just…a bit unlikely!" he replied.

"No, impossible's the right word." Lily told him. "Hurricanes in the dead of winter are a bit unlikely, you're like a hurricane in the desert! A land locked desert!"

The TARDIS exploded one last time, throwing the group back. The Doctor landed on the jump seat and quickly grabbed Lily to keep her from hitting the rail. The TARDIS landed and they all looked at each other before following the Doctor as he ran out the door.

Outside they found an underground tunnel, littered with junk and old equipment.

"Okay, I'm confused." Lily said. "We just had a hell of a battle saving the Earth from the Sontarans, I would loved to have gone to a beach. So why did the TARDIS bring us here?"

"I have no idea." The Doctor answered.

"Oh, I love this bit." Martha said.

"Thought you wanted to go home." Donna told her.

"I know," Martha replied, "but all the same…"

The Doctor was looking around, ignoring their conversation.

"It's that feeling you get…" Martha continued.

"Like you swallowed a hamster?" Donna finished.

"Or like your life expectancy has just gotten significantly shorter?" Lily suggested.

There was a loud noise and they all looked to see soldiers approaching.

"Don't move, stay where you are!" one of them ordered. "Drop your weapons."

The soldiers pointed their guns at the group and they all raised their hands.

"We're not armed!" the Doctor told them. "Look, no weapons. We're safe."

"Look at their hands." Another soldier said. "They're clean."

"Alright, process them!" the first soldier ordered. "Him first."

The other two came forward and grabbed the Doctor, dragging him over to a machine.

"Oi, oi!" the Doctor yelled. "What's wrong with clean hands?"

"Let go of him!" Lily yelled.

"What's going on?" Martha asked.

"Leave him alone!" Donna shouted.

The soldiers forced the Doctor's hand into the machine and he let out a yell of pain as it began to whizz.

"Something tells me this isn't about to check my blood pressure AAGGH!" he finished with a yell.

"What are you doing to him?" Lily yelled. "I demand you tell me!"

"Everyone gets processed." The first soldier told them.

"It's taken a tissue sample." The Doctor told them. "Ow ow ow ow ow ow! And extrapolated it! Some kind of accelerator?"

"I don't care what it is, just get out of it." Lily said as it let him go.

He moved back, examining his hand, which now bore a y shaped cut.

"Are you alright?" Martha asked, examining the cut as the girls moved to his side.

The Doctor, Lily, and Donna were distracted by the machine.

"What on earth?" the Doctor gaped. "That's just…"

A woman with long blonde hair and dressed in a green shirt, black tight pants, and boots stepped out of the machine. The Doctor and company stared at her as the woman looked around.

"Arm yourself!" The leader ordered, handing her a gun.

She took it, obviously very comfortable with it.

"Where did she come from?" Martha asked.

"From me." The Doctor answered, looking completely shocked.

Lily just stood there, her mouth opening and closing, but no sound coming out.

"From you?" Donna demanded. "How? Who is she?"

"Well…she's…well….she's my daughter." The Doctor finally managed to get out.

"Hello dad!" the woman said, smiling.

* * *

The girl stayed with the soldiers as the Doctor and company moved off.

"You primed to take orders, ready to fight?" the leader asked her.

"Instant mental download of all strategic and military protocols, sir." She answered. "Generation 5000 soldier primed and in peak physical health. Oh, I'm ready."

"Lily?" the Doctor asked.

He could feel her mind moving a mile a second and her mouth had yet to stop going up and down.

"I think my brain is collapsing." She said weakly.

"Did you say daughter?" Donna demanded.

"Mm." the Doctor responded, his focus still on his mate. "Technically."

"Technically how?" Martha asked.

"Progenation." The Doctor answered. "Reproduction from a single organism. Means one parent is biological mother and father. You take a sample of diploid cells, split them into haploids, then recombine them in a different arrangement, and grow. Very quickly, apparently."

"You have a daughter." Lily murmured. "And she isn't mine."

"Lily…" the Doctor said.

"Just give me a minute." Lily replied. "My brain is still overloading. It's going to take a moment to get that idea to make sense."

"Something's coming!" the girl shouted.

"Oh, good." Lily moaned.

Strange creatures, like fish with cylinders containing some type of liquid, came running down the tunnel, shooting.

"It's the Hath!" the leader shouted.

The human soldiers began shooting back.

"Get down!" the girl ordered.

"We have to blow the tunnel!" the leader ordered. "Get the detonator!"

"I'm not detonating anything!" the Doctor yelled.

A Hath grabbed Martha and pulled her away.

"Martha!" Lily yelled.

Jenny kicked one of the Hath away and picked up the detonator.

"No!" the Doctor yelled. "Don't!"

The tunnel exploded as they all ran for cover. When the dust settled, they saw that the tunnel was sealed and Martha was nowhere to be seen.

"You've sealed off the tunnel." The Doctor shouted. "Why did you do that?"

"They were trying to kill us!" the girl shouted back.

"But they've got my friend!" the Doctor yelled at her.

"Collateral damage." She told him. "At least you've still got them, he lost both his men. I'd say you came out ahead."

"Now you listen to me, young lady." Lily said, stalking up to the girl. "Her name is Martha, and she's not collateral damage, not for you, not for anyone! Do you understand me?"

"Yes, ma'am." The girl replied.

"I'm gonna find her." The Doctor said.

The leader pointed his gun at them.

"You're going nowhere." He told them. "You don't make sense, you three. No guns, no marks, no fight in you…"

Without pausing, Lily kicked the gun out of his hand and grabbed him by the collar.

"A lot of things have happened in the last few minutes." She said softly. "So, I need everyone to shut up and _give me a damn minute!_"

No one moved.

Finally the Doctor walked forward and removed Lily's hands from the man's collar. She reluctantly let go and let him wrap her in his arms.

The leader reached down and slowly picked up his weapon.

"I'm taking you to General Cobb." He said slowly. "Please follow me."

* * *

Martha slowly returned to consciousness amid the debris of the explosion. A little ways away, she spotted an injured Hath.

"Hold on, I've got you." She said, moving to its side. "Is it your arm, yeah?"

The Hath made a gurgling noise.

"Is that a yes?" she asked.

The Hath nodded.

"Let me examine it." She told it. "Keep still. Still, yeah? No move."

The Hath nodded again.

"Half fish, half human, how'm I supposed to know?" she muttered, feeling his arm. "Is that a shoulder? Feels like a shoulder. I think it's dislocated."

Several more Hath marched in, pointing guns at Martha.

"I'm trying to help him!" she shouted at them. "I am a doctor and he is my patient, and I'm not leaving him! Now, this is gonna hurt. One, two, three!"

Martha snapped the shoulder back into place.

The Hath cocked their guns, but the injured Hath quickly got between them and Martha. After a second of gurgling, the Hath lowered their guns.

"Now, then." Martha said, getting to her feet. "I'm Doctor Martha Jones. Who the hell are you?"

* * *

The leader led them through the tunnels as Donna walked next to the girl and The Doctor and Lily brought up the rear, the Doctor's arm still around Lily.

"I'm Donna." She told the girl. "What's your name?"

"Don't know." The girl replied. "It's not been assigned."

"Well, if you don't know that, what do you know?" Donna asked.

"How to fight." The girl replied.

"Nothing else?" Donna asked.

"The machine must embed military history and tactics, but no name." the Doctor explained. "She's a generated anomaly."

"Generated anomaly?" Donna repeated. "Generated. Well what about that? Jenny!"

"Jenny." The girl repeated. "Yeah, I like that. Jenny."

"What do you think, 'Dad'?" Donna asked.

"Good as anything, I suppose." The Doctor replied.

"Not what you'd call a natural parent, are you?" Donna asked.

"They stole a tissue sample at gunpoint and processed it." The Doctor shot back. "It's not what I call natural parentage."

"Rubbish!" Donna told him. "My friend Nerys father twins with a turkey baster, don't bother her."

"Donna!" Lily said, speaking for the first time in several minutes. "My mate just had a fully grown child that has no relation to me and our best friend just named her, not us! This isn't even in the same universe as normal! This is so far from normal, it's bordering on absurd!"

"She's still your daughter." Donna told them. "Doesn't matter if it wasn't a normal birth."

"You can't extrapolate a relationship from a biological accident." The Doctor protested.

"Er, Child Support Agency can." Donna told him.

"Look, just cause I share certain physiological traits with simian primates doesn't make me a monkey's uncle, does it?" the Doctor told her.

"I'm not a monkey!" Jenny shouted. "Or a child."

They finally reached the human encampment which was in a huge underground room.

"So, where are we?" the Doctor asked the leader. "What planet's this?"

"Messaline." The man answered. "Well, what's left of it."

"…663-75 deceased." A woman was calling from a list. "Generation 6671-Extinct. Generation 6672-46 deceased. Generation 6680-14 deceased. Generation…"

"But, this is a theater!" Donna said.

"Maybe they're doing Miss Saigon." The Doctor said.

"Looks more like Les Mis." Lily replied, looking around at the dirty and exhausted people around them.

"It's like a town, or a city, underground." Donna said. "But why?"

The man who had led them there finished giving his report to and older soldier and led him over to them.

"General Cobb, I presume?" the Doctor said as the man approached.

"Found in the Western tunnels, I'm told, with no marks." The man said. "There was an outbreak of pacifism in the Eastern Zone, three generations back, before e lost contact, is that where you came from?"

"Eastern Zone, that's us, yeah." The Doctor replied. "Yeah. I'm the Doctor, this is Lily, and Donna."

"And that's Jenny." Lily said, pointing to the girl.

"Don't think you can infect us with your peacemaking." Cobb told him. "We're committed to the fight, to the very end."

"Great, then we'll just be going." Lily said, turning around.

"That's not possible, all movement is regulated." Cobb told her. "We're at war."

Lily's shoulders slumped.

"Of course it is." She muttered, turning back around.

"Yeah, we noticed the war, believe it or not." The Doctor said. "With the Hath. But tell me, cause we got a bit out of circulation, Eastern Zone and all that, so, who exactly are the Hath?"

* * *

The Hath led Martha to their base, which was very similar to the human base. All the Hath seemed fascinated by a non-hostile human.

The petting was kind of freaking Martha out.

* * *

"Back at the dawn of this planet, these ancient halls were carved from the earth." Cobb told them. "Our ancestors dreamed of a new beginning, a colony where human and Hath could work and live together."

"So what happened?" the Doctor asked.

"The dream died." Cobb answered. "Broken, along with Hath promises. They wanted it all for themselves. But those early pioneers, they fought back. They used the machines to produce soldiers instead of colonists, and began this battle for survival."

"There's nothing but earth outside, why's that?" Donna asked. "Why build everything underground?"

"The surface is too dangerous." The younger man told her.

"Then why build here?" Lily asked.

"And what does this mean?" Donna asked, pointing at some numbers stamped on the wall.

"The rites and symbols of our ancestors." Cobb answered. "The meanings…lost in time."

"How long's the war been going?" Lily asked.

"Longer than anyone can remember." Cobb told her. "Countless generation marked only by the dead."

"What, fighting all this time?" Donna asked.

"Because we must." Jenny told her. "Every child of the machine is born with this knowledge. It's our inheritance, it's all we know. How to fight. And how to die."

"Sounds vaguely familiar." Lily muttered. "Another Gallifreyan and the legacy of the Time Lords."

The Doctor gave her a dark look.

_She's not Time Lord._ He told her.

Lily looked at him before looking at Jenny.

_I'm not so sure._ She replied.

A/N: The Doctor's Daughter, first chapter! Will Lily accept Jenny as her daughter? Find out, next time, on Savin' Me!

Why do I imagine Christopher Judge saying that as I type it? It makes no sense.

Abbey


	28. The Doctor's Daughter: Unrealized

Disclaimer: Lack of offers has forced me on the run. The people on the railroad aren't very nice.

Ch. 28:

The Hath were showing Martha a holographic map.

"Right…" Martha said. "So we're here?"

She pointed to a part of the map.

* * *

At the human camp, the Doctor was looking at the same map.

"Does this show the entire city, including the Hath zones?" he asked.

"Yes." Cobb answered. "Why?"

"Well it'll help us find Martha." He replied.

"We've got more important things to do." The young soldier, who's name he had told them, was Cline. "The Progenation Machines are powered down for the night shift, but soon as they're active, we could breed a whole platoon from you three."

"Over my dead body." Lily ground out.

"I'm not having sons and daughters by some great big flippin' machine!" The Doctor said.

He glanced at Jenny.

"Sorry, no offence, but you're not…well I mean you're not real." He told her.

"You're no better than him!" Jenny shouted at him. "I have a body, I have a mind, I have independent thought, how am I not real? What makes you better than me?"

Lily laid her hand on the young woman's shoulder and she quieted.

"Well said, soldier." Cobb said. "We need more like you if ever we're to find the Source."

"Ooh, the Source, what's that the, what's a Source?" the Doctor asked. "I like a Source, what is it?"

* * *

_The Doctor sure does know how to stick his foot in his mouth._ Lily thought to herself as the soldiers told the Doctor their creation story.

"He sure does." Jenny muttered.

Lily stared at Jenny.

_You can hear me?_ Lily asked.

"Of course I can." Jenny answered.

She glanced at the Doctor, but he didn't seem to hear them, being wrapped up in the story. She pulled Jenny a little ways away.

_Look at my mouth._ She ordered. _I'm not talking. You're hearing my thoughts._

_How? _Jenny asked, catching on.

Lily thought about it for a moment.

_You're made from his DNA._ Lily said, thoughtfully. _And since he's bonded to me, it must give you a bond to me too. Separate from him._

_What does that mean?_ Jenny asked.

_I don't know. _Lily told her.

She sighed.

_Let's go rejoin the Doctor._ She told her.

"Right, so it's a creation myth." The Doctor said as they rejoined them.

_Where did you go?_ He asked.

_I was just explaining to her that sometimes you're a jackass, and you don't mean anything by it._ Lily told him, glaring at him.

"It's not myth." Cobb said. "It's real. That sigh. From the beginning of time it was caught and kept as the Source. It was lost when the war started. But it's here, somewhere. Whoever holds the Source controls the destiny of the planet."

The Doctor was no longer paying attention though. He was too busy studying the map.

"Ah!" he exclaimed. "I thought so! There's a suppressed layer of information in this map, if I can just…"

He pointed the sonic screwdriver at the map and more tunnels appeared.

"What is it, what's it mean?" Donna asked.

"See?" The Doctor said. "A whole complex of tunnels, hidden from sight."

* * *

The tunnels also appeared on the Hath map.

"Hold on, look!" Martha called.

* * *

"That must be the lost temple." Cobb said, pointing to a place on the new map. "The Source will be inside. You've shown us the way! And look, we're closer that the Hath! It's ours!"

* * *

"That's a new map." Martha said. "There's a different set of tunnels!"

* * *

"Tell them to prepare to move out." Cobb ordered. "We'll progenate new soldiers on the morning shift, then we march. Once we reach the Temple, peace will be restored at long last."

"Um, call me old-fashioned, but if you really wanted peace, couldn't you just stop fighting?" the Doctor asked.

"Only when we have the Source." Cobb told him. "It'll give us the power to erase every stinking Hath from the face of this planet!"

"Hang on, hang on." The Doctor said. "A second ago, it was peace in our time, now you're talking about genocide?"

"For us, that means the same thing." Cobb replied.

"Than your dictionary sucks." Lily told him. "You need to get a new one."

"And when you do, look up genocide." The Doctor told him. "You'll see a little picture of me there and the caption will read 'Over my dead body'!"

"And you're the one who showed us the path to victory." Cobb said. "But you can consider the irony from your prison cell. Cline, at arms!"

Cline raised his gun and pointed it at the Doctor, Lily, and Donna.

"Oi, oi, oi!" Donna shouted. "All right! Cool the beans Rambo!"

"I took that gun away once, do you want me to do it again?" Lily asked.

"Take them, I won't have them spreading treason." Cobb ordered. "And if you try anything, Doctor, I'll see that your woman dies first."

Lily ground her teeth as he pointed at Donna.

"Seriously?" she asked. "Why does everyone assume it's Donna?"

"You want to be referred to as 'his woman'?" Donna asked.

"Good point." Lily agreed. "You can have that title if you want."

"No,no." Donna told her. "You want him, you get the title."

"Donna-" Lily whined.

"Quiet!" Cline ordered. "Come on. This way."

"I'm going to stop you, Cobb." The Doctor told him. "You need to know that."

"I have an army and the breath of god on my side, Doctor." Cobb told him. "What'll you have?"

"This." He replied, pointing to his head.

"Lock them up and guard them." Cobb ordered.

"What about the new soldier?" Cline asked.

Jenny stepped forward, but Cobb pushed her away from him and into the Doctor and Lily. She stumbled and Lily steadied her.

"Can't trust her, she's from pacifist stock." Cobb said. "Take them all!"

* * *

In the Hath camp, the Hath were waving their guns in the air and patting Martha on the back.

"But I didn't do anything!" Martha protested.

The Hath just continued to pat her on the back and celebrate.

"I think I just started a war." She whispered.

* * *

The Doctor, Lily, Donna, and Jenny were all led into a cell.

"More numbers." Donna said, pointing. "They've gotta mean something."

"Lily?" Jenny said, grabbing the woman as she stumbled.

"I'm fine." Lily replied, letting the young woman help her to the bench.

"No you're not." The Doctor said. "You haven't even had a moment to recover from the last fiasco. We haven't even had a chance to see what damage you've done recently."

"Oh, god." Lily said, grabbing the Doctor's arm. "What if they use my DNA to create soldiers?"

The Doctor rocked back on his heels.

"They'd have soldiers with Vortex powers." He murmured.

"We can't let them have my DNA." Lily told him.

"We won't." he said, cupping her cheek.

"Let me scan and make sure you haven't seriously hurt yourself." He told her, pulling out the sonic screwdriver.

He pointed it at her and she sighed. He checked the readings.

"You don't seem any worse." He told her. "But you cannot burn off the serum in your system. Your body can't handle that again this soon."

"I promise." Lily told him.

He nodded and kissed her forehead before standing up. He watched as Jenny sat next to her, but didn't say anything when Lily glared at him.

"So, any theories on the numbers?" Lily asked. "Or the breath of life story?"

"You mean that's not true?" Jenny asked her.

"Probably not." She replied.

"But there could still be something real in that temple." The Doctor said. "Something that's become myth. A piece of technology, a weapon."

"So the Source could be a weapon and we've just given directions to Captain Nutjob?" Donna asked.

"Nice name." Lily told her.

"Thanks." She replied, smiling.

"Focus." The Doctor told them. "And yes, we did just do that."

"Not the smartest thing we've done recently." Donna said.

"Then again, it's not the dumbest." Lily said. "I mean, we did just set the Earth's atmosphere on fire a few hours ago."

"Fair point." Donna conceded.

"Focus!" the Doctor told them. "We need to get out of here, find Martha, and stop Cobb from slaughtering the Hath."

He noticed Jenny watching him.

"What, what are you, what are you…what are you staring at?" he demanded.

"You keep insisting you're not a soldier." She told him. "But look at you! Drawing up strategies like a proper general."

"No, no." the Doctor told her. "I'm trying to stop the fighting."

"Isn't every soldier?" Jenny shot back.

"Well. I suppose." He said. "But that's…that's…technically…I haven't got time for this! Lily, give me your phone!"

"Haven't got it." Lily told him.

"What?" he demanded.

"Left it on the TARDIS." She replied with a shrug. "Wasn't like I was planning on a field trip! I was planning on a spa day!"

He shook his head.

"Donna, give me your phone." He ordered. "Time for an upgrade!"

"And now you've got a weapon!" Jenny said as he pulled out the screwdriver.

"It's not a weapon." He told her.

"But you're using it to fight back!" she told him, laughing. "I'm gonna learn so much from you. You are such a soldier!"

"Donna, will you tell her?" the Doctor demanded.

"Oh, you are speechless." Donna said, laughing. "I'm loving this! You keep on, Jenny!"

"Lily?" the Doctor implored.

"Oh, please, I'm usually the only one who can make you this discombobulated." Lily told him. "I'm having fun watching this. But don't worry, if it gets too out of hand, I'll stop it."

"It is too out of hand!" he shouted.

Lily leaned back.

"Nah." She said, shaking her head. "Not yet. I'm still having too much fun."

"Doctor?" Martha's voice came over the phone.

"Martha!" the Doctor exclaimed. "You're alive!"

"Doctor!" Martha said. "Oh, am I glad to hear your voice! Are you all right?"

"I'm with Lily and Donna, we're fine." He told her. "What about you?"

"And Jenny!" Donna and Lily yelled at the same time. "She's fine too!"

"Yes, all right." He told them.

"And, and Jenny…" he said, louder so Martha could hear him. "That's the woman from the machine, the soldier, my daughter, except she isn't, she's, she's…"

He trailed off when he saw Lily glaring at him.

"Anyway! Where are you?" he asked.

"I'm in the Hath camp." She told him. "I'm okay, but something's going on. The Hath are all marching off to some place that's appeared on this map thing."

"Nice going, genius." Lily called.

"What?" Martha asked.

"Um, that was me." He told her sheepishly. "If both armies are heading that way, there's going to be a bloodbath."

"What do you want me to do?" Martha asked.

"Just stay where you are." The Doctor told her. "If you're safe there, then don't move, d'you hear?"

"But I can help." She told him.

The phone beeped and the connection was lost.

* * *

"Doctor?" Martha called, looking at the phone. "Doctor!"

A/N: Second chapter of the Doctor's Daughter. I hope you guys like the idea of Lily and Jenny having a bond. Let me know.

Abbey


	29. The Doctor's Daughter: Unknown

Disclaimer: The people on the railroad gave me up for some food. Greedy bastards.

Ch. 29:

"The doors that have been closed will be open to us now." Cobb called to his troops. "The door to the Temple, to the Source, and to victory!"

The soldiers cheered.

"Come the dawn cycle, we march." Cobb ordered.

In their cell, the Doctor and company heard the cheering.

"They're getting ready to move out." The Doctor said. "We have to get past that guard."

"I can deal with him." Jenny and Lily said at the same moment.

The two women looked at each other while the other two stared at them.

"No, no, no, no." the Doctor said. "You're too weak at the moment, and you're not going anywhere."

"What?" all three women demanded.

"You belong here, with them." The Doctor told Jenny.

"She belongs with us." Donna protested. "With you. She's your daughter!"

"She's a soldier." The Doctor shot back. "She came out of that machine!"

"Oh yes, I know that bit!" Donna told him. "Listen, have you got that stethoscope? Give it to me. Come on!"

The Doctor handed it to her and Donna moved towards Jenny.

"What're you doing?" the young woman asked.

"It's all right." Lily told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Just hold still."

Donna placed the stethoscope on the left side of Jenny's chest and then the right. She pulled away and looked at the Doctor.

"Come here." She told him. "Listen and then tell me where she belongs."

She handed him the stethoscope and had him listen to the heartbeat on the left and then the one on the right.

"Two hearts." He whispered.

"Exactly." Donna replied.

"What's going on?" Jenny asked.

"Does that mean she's a…?" Donna trailed off. "What do you call a female Time Lord? Lily refuses to use it, so I don't think I've ever heard it."

"What's a Time Lord?" Jenny asked.

"It's who we are, me and Lily." The Doctor answered backing away and leaning against a wall. "It's where we're from."

"And I'm from you." Jenny pointed out.

"You're an echo, that's all." The Doctor told her. "A Time Lord is so much more. A sum of knowledge. A code. A shared history. A shared suffering." He paused. "Only it's gone now. All of it. Gone forever."

"What happened?" Jenny asked.

"There was a war." Lily told her quietly.

"Like this one?" Jenny replied.

The Doctor laughed at the ridiculousness of the comparison.

"Bigger." He told her. "Much bigger."

"And you fought?" Jenny asked. "And killed?"

"Yes." The Doctor replied darkly.

"Then how are we different?" she asked.

He didn't answer.

"This is ridiculous." Lily said. "You want proof she's yours?"

She walked forward and took his hand, pulling him back.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just shut up and go with it." She told him crossly.

She walked back and took Jenny's hand.

_Listen._ She told him, opening her mind.

He stared at her, confused.

_Jenny?_ She called.

_Yes?_ Jenny replied, confused.

The Doctor wrenched his hand away and backed away.

"She's yours." Lily told him. "And…mine. Maybe not biologically, but she's a part of you and we're a part of each other, so she's a part of me, and that makes her mine."

She walked over and took his hands in hers.

"You say that being a Time Lord is a shared history." She told him quietly. "So we'll teach her the history. We'll teach her what it means to be Time Lord. We'll teach her what it means to be one of us. We'll teach her about her homicidal uncle and the arrogance of the Time Lords and the beauty of the universe. We'll teach her what it means to be ours."

When he didn't say anything, she sighed.

"I've already lost one daughter." Lily said. "Please don't take another from me."

He stared at her but didn't say anything. After a moment, she walked back to Jenny and wrapped her in a hug.

Still he said nothing.

* * *

Martha stood talking to the only Hath that had stayed with her in the empty camp.

"I need to charge it up." She told him, motioning to the phone. "I need power, d'you understand?

The Hath fiddled with the controls of the map, changing it into 3D.

"There's even more!" Martha marveled. "In 3D! Oh, you're a clever Hath! So this is where everybody's headed? But look…" she pointed to the tunnels, "those tunnels sort of zig-zag. If I went up and over the surface in a straight line, I'd get there first."

The Hath gurgled, shaking his head.

"Why not?" Martha asked.

He brought up a diagram.

"Are those the readings to the surface?" she asked. "Well it doesn't look too bad. Nitrogen and oxygen about 80:20, that's fine. Ozone levels are high. And some big radiation spikes. But as long as I'm not out there too long…"

The Hath seemed to be asking a question.

"I have to find my friends." She told him.

Martha ran off, but turned back when she heard the Hath gurgling again. He seemed to be asking to come with her.

"Come on, then!" she called.

* * *

Jenny went to the door of the cell and struck up a conversation with Cline, who was guarding them.

"Hey." She said.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you." He told her. "I'm on duty."

"I know." She replied. "Guarding me. So does that mean I'm dangerous? Or that I need protecting?"

"Protecting from what?" Cline asked, moving closer with a smile.

"Oh, I don't know." She replied, smiling as well. "Men like you?"

She pulled him close for a kiss-and then grabbed his gun and pointed it at him.

"Keep quiet and open the door." She ordered.

The Doctor, Lily, and Donna watched this from the shadows.

"Are we sure there is no way Lily's DNA could have made it into her genetic makeup?" Donna asked.

"Yes." The Doctor replied. "Why?"

"Because I'd like to see you try that!" Donna told him.

Lily laughed at the stunned look on the Doctor's face as they made their way out.

They made their way down a stairway and spotted a guard.

"That's the way out." The Doctor said.

Jenny cocked the gun, but the Doctor pushed it down.

"Don't you dare!" he told her.

"He's right." Lily said.

She bent down and removed her dagger from where it was hidden in her boot.

"This is much quieter." She said.

"Lily!" the Doctor hissed.

"Good idea." Jenny said, reaching for the dagger.

"Don't you dare!" the Doctor repeated.

Donna got between the glaring group.

"Let me distract this one." Donna said. "I have picked up a few womanly wiles over the years."

_I promise to just knock him out._ Lily told the Doctor, trying not to laugh at her friend. _Really, it's kinder than setting Donna on him._

"Let's…save your wiles for later." The Doctor told Donna. "In case of emergency."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a mechanical mouse. He set it on the floor and sent it towards the guard.

When the guard was looking at the mouse, Jenny came up behind him and hit him with the butt of the gun.

"I was gonna distract him, not clobber him!" the Doctor hissed.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Jenny asked.

Lily kneeled next to the man and checked him.

"Nice job." She told Jenny approvingly. "Nice use of force. Just enough so that he'll have a bad headache, but no serious injury."

"Lily!" the Doctor sighed.

"What?" Lily asked. "We've both fought wars. You've got to admire the girl's technique!"

"I'm going to find a copy of that new map." He said. He pointed at him mate and daughter. "Just stay there, don't hurt anyone."

Lily stuck her tongue out at his back as he walked away, making Jenny snicker.

* * *

Martha and her new Hath friend made their way up some stairs to a door, but the Hath started to protest.

"You can stay down here and live your whole life in the shadows, or come with me and stand in the open air." She told him. "Feel the wind on your face. What's it gonna be?"

He looked undecided still.

"It's up to you." She told him. "But nothing's gonna stop me."

She opened the door and climbed out to the surface, the Hath following a second later. All around them was a cold, windy, deserted planet, lit by three moons.

"I knew you couldn't resist it." Martha told him.

The Hath gurgled.

"Er, language!" Martha rebuked him. "Come on."

* * *

The group was standing in a tunnel as the Doctor studied the map.

"Wait!" he said suddenly. "This is it. The hidden tunnel. There must be a control panel."

He pointed the screwdriver at the wall, while Lily and Donna stood studying another set of numbers.

"A way of marking what tunnel you're in?" Lily suggested.

"They must mean something." Donna replied. "They're everywhere."

"The original builders must've left them." Lily said. "Some sort of cataloguing system."

"You got a pen? Bit of paper?" Donna called to the Doctor. "Cause, d'you see, the numbers are counting down."

The Doctor handed her a pen and some paper and she started to right down the numbers.

"This one ends in 1-4." She told them. "The prison cell said 1-6."

"Always thinking, all of you." Jenny said. "Who are you people?"

"I told you." The Doctor said. "I'm the Doctor."

"That's all he ever says." Donna told her.

"You could call him Theta." Lily suggested.

"You could." The Doctor agreed, not even turning around. "But then I'd lock you in a room and never let you out, ever."

"So, you don't have a name either?" Jenny asked. "Are you an anomaly too?"

"No." the Doctor answered.

"Oh, come off it!" Donna told him. "You're the most anomalous bloke I've ever met!"

"Technically, we both are, Doctor." Lily told him.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"We were born of the Looms." She told him, shrugging. "Technically, we're children of a machine too, granted and organic one, but a machine all the same. But I will concede that we do have two parents."

"It's different." He told her, turning back to the control panel.

"If you say so." Lily replied.

"Here it is!" he exclaimed as he got the cover off.

"And Time Lords?" Jenny asked. "What are they for exactly?"

"'For'? They're not…" he sputtered. "They're not 'for' anything."

"So what do you do?" Jenny asked.

"We travel." Lily told her. "Through time and space. And when he tells you he knows how to drive the TARDIS, don't believe him."

"They save planets, rescue civilization, defeat terrible creatures." Donna told her. "And run a lot. Seriously, there's an outrageous amount of running involved."

The door slid open.

"Got it!" the Doctor called.

"Really?" Lily asked. "You mean that's why there's a whole in the wall now? I never would have guessed."

"Shut up." He told her.

"Squad 5, with me!" they heard Cobb call in the distance.

"Now, what were you saying about running?" the Doctor asked.

They ran down the corridor, but were stopped by red beams crossing the tunnel.

"That's not mood lighting, is it?" Donna asked.

The Doctor took out the mouse out and threw it at the lights. It exploded when it hit the first one.

"You destroyed Steve!" Lily gasped.

"Really?" he asked her. "Steve?"

"You got a problem with that?" she asked.

"What are they?" Donna interrupted.

"Arming device." The Doctor answered.

He started fiddling with the controls while Donna noticed more numbers.

"There's more of these." She told them. "Always eight numbers, counting down, the closer we get…"

"Here we go!" the Doctor called.

"You better be quick!" Donna told him.

"The General!" Jenny called, when she heard the voices of the soldiers.

She turned, but Lily grabbed her.

"Where are you going?" she demanded.

"I can hold them up." Jenny replied.

"No." the Doctor told her. "We don't need any more dead."

"But it's them or us." Jenny protested.

"It doesn't mean you have to kill them!" the Doctor shot back.

"I'm trying to save your life!" Jenny yelled at him.

"We know." Lily said, getting between them. "We understand, but you have to understand what we're trying to tell you. We've both killed, Jenny. We know what it does to someone. Once it's in you, you can never get rid of it. It'll infect you until all there is is death."

"We don't have a choice."Jenny told her.

"We always have a choice." The Doctor told her.

She looked between the Doctor and Lily.

"I'm sorry." She told them.

She ran off.

"Jenny!" Lily called.

She ran back towards the door and spotted the soldiers. And they spotted her.

"There she is!" they called. "At arms!"

Jenny opened fire and the soldiers did the same.

* * *

Donna wrapped her arm around Lily and they both watched the corridor. The Doctor went back to work.

"I told you." He said. "Nothing but a soldier."

"Shut up." Lily told him.

He sighed.

"Jenny!" he yelled. "Come on!"

* * *

"I'm coming!" she yelled back.

"Cease fire!" Cobb called. "Cease fire!"

The soldiers stopped.

* * *

As the shots stopped, the Doctor managed to shut off the beams.

"That's it!" Donna exclaimed.

"Jenny!" Lily yelled. "Leave it! Let's go!"

"Listen to her!" the Doctor yelled. "Come on!"

He grabbed Lily's hand and they ran through the corridor with Donna.

* * *

Cobb walked towards Jenny.

"You're a child of the machine." He told her. "You're on my side. Join us! Join us in the war against the Hath. It's in your blood, girl, don't deny it."

Jenny took aim at him, but at the last second, shot the pipe above him. A cloud of steam descended, blocking her escape from sight.

She ran back to the corridor.

"Jenny!" the Doctor called. "Come on! That's it!"

"Hurry up!" Lily called.

Just as she reached the final corridor, the lights sprang back to life, cutting her off from them.

"Jenny!" Lily shouted.

"No, no, no, no!" the Doctor called. "The circuit's looped back!"

"Zap it back again!" Donna told him.

"The controls are back there!" he replied.

"They're coming!" Jenny yelled.

"Doctor!" Lily shouted. "Do something!"

"Wait!" he said. "J-Just…! There isn't…! Jenny, I can't!"

"I'll have to manage on my own." She told them. "I'll be right there, mum. Watch and learn, father!"

She stepped up to the beams and began to move through them with a series of somersaults.

"No way!" Donna breathed. "But that was impossible!"

"Not impossible." Lily said, grinning.

"Just a bit unlikely!" the Doctor finished.

He hugged Jenny with a proud smile.

"Brilliant!" he told her. "You were brilliant!"

He let her go and Lily grabbed her tightly.

"You were amazing." She told her.

"I didn't kill him." She told them as Lily let her go. "General Cobb, I could have killed him, but I didn't. You were right. I had a choice."

"And you made the right one." Lily told her, smiling as she brushed a piece of hair back from Jenny's face.

The soldiers appeared at the other end of the corridor.

"At arms!" Cobb ordered.

"You tried to turn my daughter into a killer and then tried to kill her when she didn't obey." Lily shouted at him. "I don't take things like that lightly."

"I warned you, Cobb." The Doctor told him. "If the Source is a weapon, I'm gonna make sure you never use it."

"One of us it gonna die today," Cobb yelled, "and it won't be me!"

He opened fire and the Doctor and Lily ran.

A/N: Third chapter done. So Lily's decided Jenny's her's. Don't you just kind of feel bad for Cobb? …nah. Let me know what you think!

Abbey


	30. The Doctor's Daughter: Unfulfilled

Disclaimer: The SWAT team has me cornered. Do you think they'd be bribed with cookies? No, I didn't think so either.

Ch. 30:

Martha and the Hath were struggling across the surface slowly.

"It can't be much further." She said.

At that moment, she tripped and slid down a hill. She finally landed in a bog. She tried to move towards the shore, but found she could barely move.

"Help me!" she yelled. "I'm sinking! I'm sinking! Help me! Peck! Help me, Peck! I'm sinking."

The Hath tried to reach her, but his reach was too short.

"Oh, it's no good." She told him.

He couldn't reach her, so he jumped in and began to push her out. She reached the shore, but when she turned around, he was in too deep.

"No!" she yelled as he began to sink. "No!"

She sat back and cried as he disappeared beneath the still surface.

* * *

"So, how did you wind up with him?" Jenny asked Lily.

The older woman laughed.

"That is a much too complicated story to tell without drink and food." Lily told her. "Sufficed to say, I was involved with someone before I met your dad, and we were involved in a war. After we had all but lost and everyone was dead, the other man, he sent me to your father to save me."

"What happened to the other man?" Jenny asked.

Lily looked away sadly.

"There's no way he could have survived." She told her. "He died to save me."

"And now you're with the Doctor?" Jenny asked.

"Yep. He saved me. In more than one way." Lily answered, smiling at her mate. "I promise I'll explain it in more detail later."

"And Donna is…?" Jenny asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just our friend!" Lily said.

"Just a friend!" Donna said at the same time.

Jenny laughed.

"And what's it like, the traveling?" she asked.

"Ah, never a dull moment." Donna answered. "Can be terrifying, brilliant and funny-sometimes all at the same time. I've seen some amazing things though. Whole new worlds!"

"Oh, I'd love to see new worlds." Jenny sighed.

"And we're going to love showing them to you." Lily told her, wrapping her arm around Jenny. "Right, Doctor?"

"Hm?" the Doctor replied.

Lily sighed and gave Jenny a long suffering look that made the girl giggle.

"Do you think Jenny will see any new worlds?" she asked her mate.

"I suppose so." The Doctor replied with a small smile.

"You mean…You mean you'll take me with you?" Jenny asked.

"We can't leave you here, can we?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Jenny said, hugging him first and then Lily. "Come on! Let's get a move on!"

She ran off.

"Careful, there might be traps!" the Doctor called after her before turning to Lily. "How did a child made only from my DNA wind up so much like you?"

"Just lucky I guess." She replied, smiling.

The Doctor still looked troubled.

"Oh, I know that look." Donna said. "See it a lot round our way. Blokes with pushchairs and frowns. You've got dad-shock."

"Dad-shock?" the Doctor asked, confused.

"Sudden, unexpected fatherhood." Donna explained. "Take a bit of getting used to."

"No, it's not that." The Doctor told her.

"Well, what is it then?" she asked. "Having Jenny in the TARDIS is that that it? What's she gonna do, cramp your style? Like you've got a sports car and she's gonna turn it into a people-carrier?"

"Donna, I've been a father before." The Doctor told her. "And Lily's been a mother."

"What?" Donna asked. "I know about Lily's daughter, but you?"

"I lost all that a long time ago." The Doctor told her. "Along with everything else."

"I'm sorry." Donna said. "I didn't know. Why didn't you tell me? You talk all the time, but you don't say anything."

"I know." He replied. "I'm just…When I look at her now I can see them. The hole they left, all the pain that filled it. I just don't know if I can face that every day."

"I won't be like that." Lily told him, taking his hand. "She's not replacing them, and she's not replacing Sam. She someone new and she'll help heal the wounds they left. I promise."

"But when they died, I think that part of me died with them." He told her. "I know you want this, and I want to give it to you. I want to give you everything, including her. But I'm not sure I can. That part of me died, and I don't think it'll come back."

"I'll tell you something, Doctor." Donna said. "Something I've never told you before. I think you're wrong."

They heard shooting and Jenny returned.

"What did you do?" Lily asked with mock sternness.

"It wasn't me!" Jenny protested. "They've blasted through the beams. Time to run again. Love the running! Yeah?"

Lily looked at the Doctor as he thought for a moment. Finally he smiled at her and then Jenny.

"Love the running." He replied.

He took Lily's hand and the group ran off.

* * *

Martha struggled across the surface, tears still pouring down her face. In the distance, she could see the Temple.

* * *

The group inside reached a dead end.

"We're trapped." Donna said.

"What else is new?" Lily asked.

"Can't be." The Doctor protested. "This must be the temple."

He touched a panel on the wall.

"This is a door." He told them.

"And again!" Donna said, spotting more numbers. "We're down to 1-2 now…"

"I've got it!" the Doctor called.

"I can hear them!" Jenny reported.

"Nearly done." The Doctor replied.

"These can't be a cataloguing system." Donna said, still talking about the numbers.

"You're all making my head hurt." Lily told them. "Again."

"They're getting closer!" Jenny called.

"Then get back here!" Lily ordered.

"They're too similar." Donna said. "Too familiar."

"Not yet." Jenny replied.

"Now!" the Doctor ordered. "Got it!"

The door opened.

* * *

Martha finally made it to a similar door on the surface and entered.

* * *

The Doctor led them inside the Temple. Which didn't seem much like a temple.

"They're coming!" Jenny yelled. "Close the door!"

The Doctor pushed some keys and the door slid closed.

"Oh, that was close!" Jenny said.

"No fun otherwise!" the Doctor replied. "OW!"

Lily had hit him upside the head.

"Bad example!" she told him. "Very bad!"

"So you hit me?" the Doctor cried.

"Nothing else seems to work!" she shot back.

"That's spousal abuse, it is." He told her, rubbing his head.

"You want spousal abuse?" Lily asked. "I'll show you spousal abuse!"

They stopped as they realized Jenny was laughing at them.

"It's not what I'd call a temple…" Donna said, drawing their attention to their surroundings.

"It looks more like…" Jenny trailed off.

"Fusion-drive transport." The Doctor finished excitedly. "It's a spaceship!"

"What, the original one?" Lily asked. "The one first colonists arrived in? Wouldn't its power supply be depleted by now?"

"They would, but this one's still powered-up and functioning." The Doctor replied. "Come on!"

As they ran, they saw that someone was cutting through another door.

"It's the Hath!" Jenny said. "That door's not gonna last much longer. And if General Cobb gets through down there, war's gonna break out."

"Look, look, look, look, look!" the Doctor said, running to a computer console. "Ship's log!"

"First wave of Human/Hath co-colonization of planet Messaline." He read.

"So it is the original ship." Jenny said.

"What happened?" Donna asked.

"Phase one: Construction." He read. "They used robot drones to build the city."

"Moving on." Lily told him. "What about the war?"

"Final entry: 'Mission commander dead. Still no agreement on who should assume leadership. Hath and humans have divided into factions'." He read aloud. "That must be it! A power vacuum. The crew divided into two factions and turned on each other. Start using the progenation machines and suddenly you've got two armies fighting a never-ending war!"

"Two armies who are now both outside." Jenny pointed out.

"Look at that." Donna said.

She pointed to a screen that showed a set of numbers.

"It's like the ones on the walls." Lily said.

"No, no, no, no, but listen…" Donna told them. "I spent six months working as a temp in Hounslow Library, and I mastered the Dewey Decimal system in two days flat. I'm good with numbers! It's staring us in the face!"

"What is?" Jenny asked.

"It's the date!" Donna told them. "Assuming the first two numbers are some big old space date, then you've got year, month, day. It's the other way round, like it is in America!"

"Ohh!" the Doctor said. "It's the New Byzantine Calendar!"

"The codes are completion dates for each section." Donna continued. "They finish it, they stamp the date on! So the numbers aren't counting down, they're going out, from here, day by day, as the city got built."

"That's fantastic, Donna." Lily told her. "Except for the misconception about how Americans date stuff, that was really brilliant!"

"But you're still not getting it." Donna interrupted. "The first number I saw back there was 6021-07-17. Well, look at the date today!"

"07-24." The Doctor said softly. "No!"

"What does it mean?" Jenny asked.

"That's not possible." Lily said. "It can't have only been seven days."

"That's it!" Donna confirmed. "Seven days!"

"Just seven days?" the Doctor repeated.

"What d'you mean, seven days?" Jenny demanded.

"Seven days since the war broke out." Lily told her.

"This war started seven days ago!" Donna confirmed. "Just a week! A week!"

"They said years!" Jenny protested.

"No." Donna told her. "They said generations. And if they're all like you, and they're products of those machines…"

"They could have 20 generation in a day." The Doctor continued. "Each generation gets killed in the war, passes on the legend! Ohhh! Donna, you're a genius!"

"But all the buildings, the encampments, they're in ruins." Jenny told them.

"No, they're just empty." Lily told her. "Waiting for a population that's too busy fighting themselves."

She turned to the Doctor.

"They've mythologized their history." She told him. "The Source has got to be part of that too."

"Come on!" he told them.

They ran down a corridor and when they turned the corner, they ran into Martha.

"Doctor!" she shouted. "Lily!"

"Martha!" the Doctor said.

He and Lily grabbed her in a hug.

"He should've realized you wouldn't stay put." Lily told her.

"Donna!" Martha called, spotting the other woman.

She ran to Donna and hugged her.

"Oooh, you're filthy!" Donna told her. "What happened?"

"I, erm, took the surface route." Martha told her.

"By the way, this is Jenny." Lily said, introducing the young woman. "Jenny, this is your Aunt Martha."

"Aunt?" Martha questioned. "What did I miss?"

They turned as they heard the voices of the soldiers.

"Explanations later." The Doctor said. "We haven't got much time."

"We don't even know what we're looking for!" Donna pointed out.

"Is it me, or can you smell flowers?" Martha asked suddenly.

"Yes!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Bougainvillea! I say we follow our nose!"

"Blocks 7 to 10, advance!" came Cobb's voice. "With me!"

The Doctor led them to a room that looked like a giant green house in the middle of the space ship.

"Oh, yes!" the Doctor called. "Yes! Isn't this brilliant?"

In the middle of the room was a small pedestal holding a glass sphere containing shining gas.

"Is that the Source?" Donna asked.

"It's beautiful." Jenny breathed.

"What is it?" Martha asked.

"Terraforming!" the Doctor answered. "It's a third generation terraforming device!"

"So why are we suddenly in Kew Gardens?" Donna asked.

"Because that's what it does." The Doctor replied. "All this, only bigger. Much bigger! It's in a transit state. Producing all this must help keep it stable before they finally…"

Suddenly the Hath and the human soldiers appeared from opposite sides, cocking their guns as soon as they catch sight of each other.

"Stop!" the Doctor yelled. "Hold your fire!"

"What is this?" Cobb demanded. "Some kind of trap?"

"You said you wanted this war over." Lily told him.

"I wanted this war won." Cobb replied.

"You can't win." The Doctor told him. "No one can. You don't even know why you're here. Your whole history, it's just Chinese whispers. Getting more distorted the more it's passed on."

He pointed at the sphere.

"This is the Source." He told them. "This is what you're fighting over. A device to rejuvenate a planet's ecosystem. It's nothing mystical. It's from a laboratory, not some creator. It's a bubble of gases. A cocktail of stuff for accelerated evolution. Methane, hydrogen, ammonia, amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids. It's used to make barren planets habitable. Look around you! It's not for killing, it's bringing life. If you allow it, it can lift you out of these dark tunnels and into bright, bright sunlight! No more fighting. No more killing."

He picked up the sphere and held it up.

"I'm the Doctor." He announced. "And I declare this war is over!"

He threw it down and the glass shattered. The gases floated up, shining in gold and green as they spread out in the air.

Stunned by the sight, the soldiers lowered their guns.

"What's happening?" Jenny asked.

"The gases will escape and trigger the terraforming process." Lily told her.

"What does that mean?" Jenny asked.

"It means a new world." The Doctor told her, smiling.

Jenny laughed with delight but then she saw General Cobb. He lifted his gun and pointed it at the Doctor, but Jenny step between them.

"No!" she yelled.

The bullet hit her in the chest and the Doctor caught her as she fell. The other soldiers grabbed Cobb and forced him down as they took his gun.

"Jenny?" The Doctor said. "Jenny! Talk to me, Jenny!"

Lily quickly kneeled next to them, tears falling down her face.

"Jenny!" she called, caressing her cheek and taking her hand. "Honey, you're gonna be fine."

Martha kneeled next to them and checked Jenny's pulse and wound.

"Is she gonna be all right?" Donna asked her.

Martha looked at her and shook her head.

"A new world." Jenny whispered. "It's beautiful."

"It's alright sweetheart." Lily told her. "I'm gonna save you."

"No." Jenny told her. "Dad said it would hurt you."

"I don't care." Lily told her.

"I do." Jenny replied. "Please don't."

Lily nodded, crying even harder.

"Jenny?" the Doctor said. "Be strong, now. You need to hold on. D'you hear me? We've got things to do, you and me and Lily. Hey? Hey? We can go anywhere. Everywhere. You choose."

"That sounds good." Jenny said.

"You're our daughter and we've only just got started." He told her, his tears matching Lily's. "You're gonna be great. You're gonna be more than great. You're gonna amazing! You hear me? Jenny?"

She closed her eyes and she was gone.

A sob broke through Lily's lips and she laid her forehead on Jenny's hand, her body shaking as she sobbed. The Doctor leaned forward and kissed his daughter's forehead.

"Two hearts." He whispered.

Lily raised her head and looked at her daughter's face.

"Two hearts." The Doctor repeated. "She's like me. "If we wait…If we just wait…"

He and Lily looked to Martha for support.

"There's no sign." She told them. "There is no regeneration. She's like you, but…maybe not enough."

"No." Lily whispered. "She's her father's daughter. That's the truth of it."

"You're right." The Doctor agreed, touching Jenny's face. "She was too much like me."

He gently laid Jenny on the ground and kissed her one last time.

Lily turned and spotted Cobb being held down and a growl escaped from her. She got up and started towards him. She was halfway there when she heard the click of a gun and froze.

The Doctor stood there, holding a gun on Cobb.

No one moved.

A second later, he lowered the gun and kneeled in front of the man.

"I never would." He said in a low voice. "Have you got that? I never would!"

He stood and addressed the two groups.

"When you start this new world, this world of Human and Hath…" he told them, "remember that! Make the foundation of this society. A man who never would!"

He threw the gun away and walked over to Lily.

"Lily." He said softly, wrapping his arm around her.

He led her back to Jenny's body.

The two groups of enemies stood in this place of life and watched in silence as the couple grieved for the death of their daughter.

* * *

Jenny's body was laid out in the theatre that had housed the human encampment. The Doctor stood with his arm around Lily with Donna, Martha, Cline, and one of the Hath looking at her body. Suddenly beams of light came through the windows and hit her still face.

"It's happening." Martha whispered. "The terraforming."

"Build a city, nice, and safe underground." Donna said. "Strip away the top soil. And there it is."

She looked down at Jenny.

"And what about Jenny?" she asked.

"Let us give her a proper ceremony." Cline asked. "I think it'd help us. Please."

The Doctor nodded and turned away. Lily stopped though and turned back. She reached down and removed her dagger from it sheath and slipped it into Jenny's hand.

"You weren't just the Doctor's daughter." She whispered, brushing a hair from Jenny's face. "You were mine too. A daughter of the Phoenix."

Lily whispered a phrase in another language before leaning down and kissing her forehead.

"What was that she said?" Donna asked.

"It was Gallifreyan." The Doctor said sadly. "She said 'Be at Peace'."

Lily turned and walked back to him. He wrapped his arm around her and they didn't look back.

* * *

The Doctor stood with Martha and Donna around the console while Lily sat on the jump seat with her knees pulled up to her chest.

"Jenny was the reason for the TARDIS bringing us here." He told them. "It just got here too soon, which then created Jenny in the first place. Paradox. An endless paradox."

"I hate paradoxes." Lily whispered.

Martha and Donna watched them with sympathy.

"Time to go home?" the Doctor finally asked Martha.

"Yeah." Martha answered. "Home."

He started the TARDIS and they were on their way.

* * *

Donna and Martha walked down the road to Martha's house.

"You sure about this?" Donna asked.

"Yeah, positive." Martha answered. "I can't do this anymore. You'll be the same one day."

"I don't know." Donna said. "For now, they need me."

They glanced behind them at the Doctor and Lily, walking somberly hand in hand.

"For as long as they need me, I'm gonna travel with them." Donna told her.

She smiled and hugged Martha.

"Good luck." Martha told her.

"And you." She replied.

Donna stopped and let the Doctor and Lily walk a little further with their friend.

"We're making a habit of this." The Doctor told Martha.

"Yeah." Martha agreed. "And you'd think it's get easier."

She looked at them closely.

"You two have always been so ready to die for everyone and everything from each other to the whole universe." She told them. "But for a little while there, I thought that you might have found something worth living for."

"Oh…there's always something worth living for, Martha." The Doctor told her, smiling softly at Lily.

He hugged her tightly.

"Bye Doctor." She told him.

Lily smiled and hugged her.

"Bye Lily." She whispered to her friend.

"Goodbye." Lily told her. She grinned. "Doctor Jones."

They turned and walked back to Donna before walking for back to the TARDIS.

For a second, Martha watched them, but then she looked at the ring on her finger. She smiled and quickly walked back to her house.

* * *

Cline and the Hath were preparing Jenny. They put a pillow under her head and a sheet over her body. Suddenly, they stopped.

Jenny's mouth opened and a bright gas escaped. A second later, her eyes opened and she smiled at them.

"Hello, boys." She said.

* * *

Cline and the Hath were desperately searching for Jenny.

"The shuttle!" Cline realized as the ground shook.

He went to a panel on the wall.

"Jenny?" he called. "What're you doing? Come back!"

* * *

Jenny was starting the engines of the shuttle.

"Sorry." She answered. "Can't stop. What you gonna do, tell my mum and dad?"

"But where are you going?" Cline demanded.

"Oh, I've got the whole universe!" Jenny told him. "Planets to save, civilizations to rescue, creatures to defeat…and an awful lot running to do!"

The shuttle shot off to the sky, Jenny smiling all the way.

A/N: The Doctor's Daughter is done. There will be an interlude for the next chapter dealing with the emotions of this episode. Tell me what you thought of this.

Abbey


	31. Grief

Disclaimer: I own the Doctor. I don't care what the BBC says. They can bite me.

I don't own Lullaby

Ch. 31:

Donna had long ago gone to sleep and the Doctor was sitting in control room. He suddenly realized that he hadn't seen Lily in a long while so he got up and walked to the music room. He knew she'd be there.

Outside he stopped and leaned against the wall. Inside she was sitting at the piano playing a song. He closed his eyes and listened the song she was singing.

_Goodnight my angel, time to close your eyes  
And save these questions for another day  
I think I know what you've been asking me  
I think you know what I've been trying to say_

_I promised I would never leave you  
And you should always know  
Where ever you may go  
No matter where you are  
I never will be far away_

_Good night my angel now it's time to sleep  
And still so many things I want to say  
Remember all the songs you sang for me  
When we went sailing on an emerald bay_

_And like a boat out on the ocean  
I'm rocking you to sleep  
The water's dark and deep  
Inside this ancient heart  
You'll always be a part of me_

_Goodnight my angel, now it's time to dream  
And dream how wonderful your life will be  
Someday your child will cry and if you sing this lullaby  
Then in your heart there will always be a part of me_

_Someday, we'll all be gone  
But lullabies go on and on  
They never die, that's how you and I will be._

The music drifted away and the Doctor heard Lily sniffle and could feel her tears. He clench his hand and moved away from the door and walked away to their room.

He didn't even pause. He just picked up the nearest thing and threw it against the wall. He didn't stop, he just kept reaching for things and throwing them. Finally, the room was trashed and the bed was destroyed and he collapsed at the foot of it, tears running down his face.

He jumped when he felt a hand on his head.

He looked up and saw Lily sitting behind him, her face red, stroking his hair. He turned and buried his head in her stomach and they held each other as they cried. Finally he fell asleep, Lily still holding him.

The next morning he woke up to find her slowly picking up the remains of his destruction.

"Don't worry about all that stuff." He told her quietly. "I'll pick it up."

She smiled at him softly.

"It's fine." She told him. "It gives me something to do."

He sat up in the bed and watched her move around the room.

"Did you sleep at all?" he asked.

"Not really." She replied. "A few hours, I guess."

"I'm sorry for last night." He told her.

She stopped what she was doing and sat next to him on the bed.

"We just lost our daughter." She said softly. "You're allowed to grieve for her."

She glanced down to what she was holding in her hand.

"Although, you do owe me a new MP3 player." She told him, motioning to the destroyed device in her hand.

He chuckled slightly.

"Sure thing." He told her.

She smiled and leaned over and kissed him.

"Get dressed." She told him. "I'll go see if Donna's up."

She stroked his cheek and got up and left.

When she got outside, she closed the door and leaned against it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She quickly swiped a tear from her cheek before pushing herself away and walking down the hall.

* * *

The Doctor moved away from the door and picked up the little Lily had left and moved to the wardrobe. He changed and looked around.

It was strange. He missed Jenny so much. The girl had wormed her way into his heart and now there was another hole where another child had been. He wasn't quite sure how he could miss someone who he had only known for a few hours so much, but he did.

He walked to the door and walked out.

He found Lily sitting in the kitchen with Donna.

"How is everyone?" he asked, leaning down to kiss the top of Lily's head.

He grinned and did the same to Donna.

"Stop it." She said, swatting him away.

"We were talking about where we want to go now." Lily told him, grinning.

"Oh?" he said, grabbing a spoon before sitting down and pulling Lily's bowl of cereal to him. "Where are we going?"

Lily swatted his hand, but let him keep the bowl and kept eating from it.

"We were thinking maybe a mystery tour." Lily told him through her mouth of food.

"Might be fun." He replied.

He looked down at the cereal he was eating.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Fruity Pebbles." Lily said, taking a bite.

"Is there anything that isn't synthetic in this?" he asked her.

"If there is, we should remove it quickly." Lily replied.

He shook his head and pushed the bowl back to her. She shrugged and took another large bite.

"Are you guys ready to go?" he asked.

Donna nodded.

"Give me ten minutes and I will be." Lily said, draining the last of the milk.

"Okay, but you only have ten before I drag you out, kicking and screaming." He warned her.

"Yeah, yeah." She said, getting up and walking out.

"Is she alright?" Donna asked the Doctor.

"I think she just needs to be distracted." The Doctor told her.

"And you?" Donna asked.

He didn't say anything.

"It will get better." Donna said.

The Doctor nodded.

Donna got up and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He hesitated a second before squeezing her arm.

"I promise." She whispered.

She squeezed him one more time before walking out.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Donna and the Doctor were standing in the control room.

Lily was nowhere to be seen.

"LILY!" the Doctor finally yelled.

"Oh, calm down." She said, walking into the room. "I'm here."

"So are we _finally_ ready to go?" the he asked her.

She stuck her tongue out at him and sat down on the jump seat.

"So, let's go." She told him, waving her hand at the console.

He flipped a switch and she fell off the seat.

"You are such a jerk." She told him, pulling herself up as the TARDIS spun.

"You asked for it." He shot back.

A second later the TARDIS stopped.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

He turned and walked out.

"Sometimes I really hate him." Lily told Donna.

Donna laughed and they followed him out.

A/N: I know it's short, but I wanted something between The Doctor's Daughter and The Unicorn and the Wasp. So let me know what you think.

Abbey


	32. The Unicorn and the Wasp: Murder!

Disclaimer: When I said 'bite me', I didn't mean it literally. The dogs were cheating.

Ch. 32:

The Doctor walked out of the TARDIS, followed by Donna and Lily. Outside was the grounds of an English manor home.

"Oh, smell that air." The Doctor said. "Grass and lemonade and a little bit of mint. Just a hint of mint, must be the 1920's."

"You can tell what year it is just by smelling?" Donna asked.

"Oh yeah." The Doctor replied.

"Bullshit." Lily said, leaning against the TARDIS. "I suppose you didn't even see the 20's vintage car coming up the road."

She pointed to it.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The Doctor replied, looking very innocent.

"Come on." Lily said, shaking her head at him.

They moved to the side of the house and peered around as a man got out of the car.

"Good afternoon, Professor Peach." A butler greeted.

"Oh, good god." Lily muttered. "We've arrived in Clue."

"Shhh." The Doctor told her.

"Hello, Greeves, old man." Peach replied.

He turned at the sound of a bicycle bell.

"Ah, Reverend." He called to the rider.

"Professor Peach." The priest greeted him. "Beautiful day."

He dismounted from the bike.

"Lord's in His Heaven, all right's with the world." He said.

"Reverend Golightly." Greeves greeted. "The Lady Eddison requests that you make yourselves comfortable in your rooms. Cocktails will be served on the lawn from half-past four."

"You go on up." Peach told Golightly. "I need to check something in the library."

"Oh?" Golightly asked.

"Alone." Peach replied.

"It's supposed to be a party." Golightly told him. "All this work will be the death of you."

He gave the Professor one last look before entering the house.

"Never mind Planet Zog." Donna said. "A party in the 1920's-that's more like it."

"Trouble is," the Doctor said, "we haven't been invited."

He reached into his pocket.

"Oh, I forgot-" he continued, pulling out the psychic paper. "Yes, we have."

"You know what this means?" Lily asked her.

"What?" Donna asked.

"Costume change!" Lily answered, grinning.

The Doctor groaned.

* * *

The Doctor stood outside the TARDIS. With a huff, he banged on the door.

"We'll be late for cocktails!" he called.

The door opened and Donna stepped out in a dark green dress with gold accents.

"What do you think?" she asked. "Flapper or slapper?"

"Flapper." The Doctor told her, smiling. "You look lovely. But, tell me, where is my wayward mate?"

"Oh, hold your horses." Came Lily's voice.

She stepped out, pulling at the black, lacy, dress she wore, and the Doctor stared.

"You know, you don't have to do that every time I wear a dress." She told him, reaching over and putting a finger under his chin to shut his mouth. "It's not that rare of an occasion."

"I know." He told her. "Doesn't mean I don't find the effect stunning."

"Oooh, nice save." she told him leaning over to kiss his cheek.

He held out his arms and both women thread their arms through his as they set off.

On the lawn, tables were set up, and servants were putting the finishing touches on the food and drinks. In the background, a record was playing.

"Look sharp!" the housekeeper called. "We have guests."

The Doctor walked up, Lily on one arm and Donna on the other.

"Good afternoon!" he called.

A footman came over to take their drink orders.

"Drink, sir?" he asked. "Madams?"

"Sidecar, please." Donna ordered.

"Just water for me." Lily told him.

"And a lime and soda, thank you." The Doctor added.

"May I introduce Lady Clemency Eddison." Greeves called.

A petite woman walked forward and the Doctor greeted her like an old friend.

"Lady Eddison!" he called, taking her hand.

"Excuse me, but who exactly might you be…and what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I'm the Doctor and this is Miss Donna Noble…of the Chiswick Nobles." He answered, motioning to Donna.

"Good afternoon, my lady." Donna said in a posh voice. "Topping day, what? Spiffing! Top hole!"

"No, no, no, no, no." the Doctor whispered. "Don't do that. Don't."

"I'm Lady Lily Carter." Lily interjected, distracting Lady Eddison from Donna.

"A titled American." The woman marveled. "What an oddity."

"I know." Lily said, smiling. "I was born and raised in America, but when my aunt died, I was left as her solo heir and so, inherited the title."

"I'm so sorry for your loss." Lady Eddison told her.

"Thank you." Lily replied.

"We were thrilled to receive your invitation, my lady." The Doctor interjected. "We met at the ambassador's reception."

"Doctor, how could I forget you?" Lady Eddison covered. "But one must be sure with the Unicorn on the loose."

"A unicorn?" the Doctor asked. "Brilliant. Where?"

"Un, the Unicorn." Lady Eddison specified. "The jewel thief? And nobody knows who he is. He's just struck again. Snatched Lady Bannington's pearls right from under her nose."

The footman returned and handed them their drinks.

"Funny place to wear pearls." Donna muttered as she took a sip.

Lily reached behind the Doctor and pinched her. Donna reached over to swat Lily, but the Doctor stopped them, glaring at both women.

"May I announce the Colonel Hugh Curbishley, the Honorable Roger Cubishley." Greeves called.

A younger man appeared, pushing an older man in a wheelchair.

"My husband." Lady Eddison told them. "And my son."

"Forgive me for not rising." Colonel Curbishley said. "Never been the same since the flu epidemic back in '18."

"My word!" Roger said, looking at Donna and Lily. "You are a super lady! Both of you! How did you wind up with such beautiful jewels on your arm?" he asked the Doctor.

"Oh!" Donna said. "I like the cut of your jib. Chin-chin."

"I'm the Doctor." He introduced himself, shaking Roger's hand.

"How do you do?" the younger man asked.

"Very well, thanks." The Doctor replied.

The footman approached with a drink on a tray.

"Your usual, sir." He told Roger.

"Ah, thank you, Davenport." Roger replied, giving him a look as he took the drink. "Just how I like it."

"How come she's and Eddison, but her husband and son are Curbishleys?" Donna asked the Doctor.

"The Eddison title descends through her." He answered. "One day, Roger will be a lord."

"Miss Robina Redmond." Greeves called.

A young lady, dressed in a red and black dress arrived.

"She's the absolute hit of the social season." Lady Eddison told them. "A must. Miss Redmond." She called as the woman approached.

"Spiffing to meet you at last, my lady." Robina told her, shaking her hand.

"Reverend Arnold Golightly." Greeves called.

"Ah, Reverend!" Lady Eddison called as he approached. She took his hand and guided him over. "How are you? I heard about the church last Thursday night, those ruffians breaking in."

"You apprehended them, I hear." Curbishley said.

"As the Christian fathers taught me, we must forgive them their trespasses." Golightly said. "Quite literally."

"Some of these young boys deserve a decent thrashing." Roger said.

"Couldn't agree more, sir." Davenport said, removing the empty glass from Roger's hand and giving him a new one.

Roger cleared his throat.

"Typical." Donna muttered. "All the decent men are on the other bus."

"Or Time Lords." The Doctor added, sounding put off.

Lily chuckled and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Quite right, hon." She told him. "And just think, she hasn't even met Jack yet."

The Doctor shuddered.

"Now, my lady," Golightly said, "what about this special guest you promised us?"

"Here she is." Lady Eddison answered as a woman walked towards them. "A lady who needs no introduction."

Everyone applauded as the woman walked across the lawn, looking uncomfortable at the attention.

"On, no." she told them. "Please don't. Thank you, Lady Eddison, honestly, there's no need."

She walked over to the Doctor, Lily, and Donna.

"Agatha Christie." She said, shaking Donna's hand.

"What about her?" Donna asked.

"That's me." The woman replied.

"No!" Donna exclaimed. "You're kidding!"

"I love you." Lily said, reaching up to kiss the Doctor's cheek.

"Lily Carter." She said, reaching out to shake Agatha's hand. "I am a huge fan! It's such an honor to meet you."

"Agatha Christie!" The Doctor marveled, shaking the woman's hand. "I was just talking about you the other day. I said 'I bet she's brilliant'. I'm the Doctor, and that's Donna, and Lily's already introduced herself. Oh, I love your stuff! What a mind! You fool me every time. Well…almost every time. Well…once or twice. Well…once. But it was a good once."

Lily reached up and covered his mouth.

"It's amazing." She told her. "He's this genius of a man, but then his mouth disconnects from his brain and everything goes away."

"You make a very stunning couple." Agatha told her, smiling.

"Finally." Lily breathed, removing her hand from the Doctor's mouth. "You would not believe how many people think they're together."

"Well, considering none of you wear wedding rings, it's an understandable mistake." Agatha replied.

"Oh…" the Doctor said. "You don't miss a trick."

"And I'd stay that way if I were you." Agatha told them. "The thrill is in the chase, never in the capture."

"Oh, I don't know." Lily said, smiling up at the Doctor, who reached over and took her hand. "I think I'm rather enjoying some measure of captivity."

"Loose as it is." The Doctor added.

"Oh, please, like you could ever truly control me." Lily scoffed at him. "Or me you. That's what makes it fun."

"Oh so annoying for the rest of us." Donna said.

Lily stuck her tongue out at her.

"Mrs. Christie." Lady Eddison interrupted. "I'm so glad you could come. I'm one of your greatest followers. I've read all six of your books."

She looked behind Agatha.

"Uh, is, uh Mr. Christie not joining us?" she asked.

"Is he needed?" Agatha asked. "Can't a woman make her own way in the world?"

"Don't give my wife ideas." Curbishley told her.

"Mrs. Christie, I have a question." Roger called. "Why a Belgian detective?"

"Excuse me, Colonel." The Doctor said, taking the paper off his lap.

He moved off and Lily followed.

"Belgians make such lovely buns." Agatha replied, making everyone laugh.

"Where on Earth's Professor Peach?" Roger asked. "He's love to meet Mrs. Christie."

"Said he was going to the library." Golightly said.

The Doctor motioned for Donna to join him and Lily.

"Miss Chandrakala, would you go and collect the professor?" Lady Eddison asked.

"At once, my lady." The housekeeper replied, heading for the house.

"The date on this newspaper." The Doctor said softly.

"No way." Lily said, looking at it.

"What about it?" Donna asked.

"It's the day Agatha Christie disappeared." The Doctor told her.

"This is awesome." Lily said. "Well, obviously not for her, but how cool is this? We're going to know why Agatha Christie disappeared."

"I don't understand." Donna said.

"She just discovered her husband was having an affair." The Doctor explained.

"You'd never thin to look at her smiling away." Donna said.

"Well, she's British and moneyed." The Doctor said. "That's what they do-they carry on. Except for this one time. No one knows exactly what happened-she just vanished."

"Tomorrow, her car will be found by the side of a lake." Lily picked up the story. "Ten days later, she shows up in a hotel in Harrogate. No clue how she got there, or what happened. And she never talked about it again till the day she died. It remains one of the greatest mysteries."

"It's about to happen." Donna said softly.

"Right here, right now." The Doctor replied.

They watched as Agatha talked and laughed.

Suddenly, everyone was distracted by Miss Chandrakala running out of the house, screaming.

"The professor!" she yelled. "The library! Murder! Murder!"

A/N: First Chapter of the Unicorn and the Wasp. This is one of my all time favorite episodes. For anyone who's interested, there is a link to a picture of Lily's flapper dress on my profile. Let me know what you think of it and of the chapter.

Abbey


	33. The Unicorn and the Wasp: Suspect!

Disclaimer: I love David and I will not leave until you give him to me.

Ch. 33:

The Doctor and Lily ran into the library, followed shortly by Donna and Agatha. The Doctor ran to the body and Greeves entered.

"Oh, my goodness." He breathed.

"Bashed on the back of the head." The Doctor said, studying the wound. "Blunt instrument."

"Watch is broken." Lily said, pointing as she walked around the room.

"Time of death was quarter past four." The Doctor added.

He got up and moved to the desk where Lily stood looking at some papers.

"Bit of pipe." Donna said, examining the instrument on the floor. "Call me Hercule Poiort but I reckon that's blunt enough."

Agatha bent and quickly removed a scrap from the fireplace.

_She really does see everything._ Lily marveled.

"Nothing worth killing for in that lot, dry as dust." The Doctor said as he and Lily moved away from the desk.

"Hold on, the body in the library?" Donna said softly. "I mean, Professor Peach, in the library, with a lead piping?"

"Oh!" Lily exclaimed. "I so called it. We're in Clue!"

"Shh!" the Doctor told her.

"Let me see!" Lady Eddison called from the hall.

"Out of my way!" Hugh said.

"Gerald!" Lady Eddison said, as she entered the room and saw the body.

The others finally arrived.

"Saints preserve us." Golightly whispered, crossing himself.

"Oh, how awful." Robina said.

"Someone should call the police." Agatha said.

"You don't have to." The Doctor said, whipping out the psychic paper. "Chief Inspector Smith from Scotland Yard, known as the Doctor. Miss Noble and Lady Carter are the plucky young girls who help me out."

"I say." Lady Eddison marveled.

"Mrs. Christie was right." The Doctor continued. "Go into the sitting room. I will question each of you in turn."

"Come along." Agatha said, ushering the others out. "Do as the Doctor says. Keep the room undisturbed."

Everyone left, leaving the trio of time travelers alone.

As soon as the door closed, both Lily and Donna swatted the Doctor.

"OW!" he yelled. "What was that for?"

"'The plucky young girls who help me out'?" Donna quoted.

The Doctor stretched out on the floor, examining it for clues.

"There were no policewomen in 1926." He told them.

Lily squatted next to him.

"Call me plucky again, and I'll pluck you, understand?" she told him.

"Why don't we phone the real police?" Donna asked.

"The last thing we want is PC Plod sticking his nose in." the Doctor replied. "Especially…"

He removed something from a crack in the floor with a pencil.

"Now I've found this." He said, standing up. "Morphic residue."

"Oh, just fantastic." Lily said sarcastically.

"Morphic?" Donna questioned. "Doesn't sound very 1926."

"Gets left behind when certain species genetically re-encode." The Doctor explained.

"I like Clue better when the characters have to stay in one form." Lily complained.

"The murderer's an alien?" Donna asked.

"Which means that one of that lot is an alien in human form." The Doctor replied.

"Yeah, but think about it." Donna said. "There's a murder, mystery, and Agatha Christie."

"So?" the Doctor replied, sniffing the residue. "Happens to me all the time."

He handed it residue to Lily.

"No, but isn't that a bit weird?" Donna asked. "Agatha Christie didn't walk around surrounded by murders. Not really. That's like meeting Charles Dickens and he's surrounded by ghosts. At Christmas."

"Well-" the Doctor said.

"Oh come on."Donna protested. "It's not like we could drive across country and find Enid Blyton having tea with Noddy. Could we? Noddy's not real, is he? Tell me there's no Noddy."

"There's no Noddy." The Doctor said, as he walked out the door.

"Next thing you'll be telling me it's like Murder on the Orient Express and they all did it." Donna said as she and Lily followed him out.

"Murder on the Orient Express?" Agatha asked from where she was standing just outside the door.

"Oh yeah." Donna said. "One of your best."

"But not yet." Lily whispered.

"Marvelous idea, though." Agatha said.

"Yeah, tell you what-Copyright: Donna Noble, yeah?" she told the writer.

"Donna!" Lily hissed.

"Anyway, Lily and I will go with Agatha to question the suspects." The Doctor said. "Donna, you search the bedrooms, look for clues."

"Any more residue." He added in a whisper, pulling a large magnifying glass from his pocket. "You'll need this."

"Is that for real?" Donna asked.

"Go on." The Doctor told her, grinning at her. "You're ever so plucky."

"Why do I have to go by myself?" Donna demanded.

"Oh, for god's sake." Lily moaned.

She stood on tip toe and kissed the Doctor.

"Try not to have any fun without me." She told him.

She just stood there.

"What?" he asked.

"Where's my magnifying glass?" she asked.

He sighed and got another one out and handed it to her.

"Thank you." She said happily.

She and Donna walked up the stairs.

"You know that show I showed you, Stargate?" he heard Lily asked Donna. "Government cover-up. You're going to love O'Neill."

He shook his head and turned to Agatha.

"Right then." He said. "Solving a murder mystery with Agatha Christie. Brilliant!"

"How like a man to have fun while there's disaster all around him." She told him.

"Sorry." The Doctor replied. "Yeah."

"I'll work with you-gladly-" she told him, "but for the sake of justice, not your own amusement."

She turned and walked away.

"Oh." The Doctor said, following her.

* * *

The Reverend sat in a chair, facing the Doctor and Agatha.

"Now then, Reverend…" the Doctor said. "Where were you at quarter past four?"

"Let me think." Golightly replied. "Why yes, I remember…I was unpacking my room."

"No alibi then?" the Doctor asked.

"You were alone?" Agatha added.

"With the Lord, one is never truly alone, Doctor." Golightly replied.

"And where were you?" the Doctor asked.

Roger now sat in the chair.

"Let me think." Roger replied. "I was, uh…Oh yes, I was taking a constitutional in the fields behind the house."

"Alone?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh yes, all alone." Roger answered. "Totally alone. Absolutely alone. Completely. All of the time. I wandered, lonely, as the proverbial cloud. There was no one else with me. Not at all. Not ever."

_And if we asked Davenport, I'm sure we'd get the same answer. _Lily said, as she and Donna looked through rooms.

_I'm sure. _The Doctor agreed with a smile.

"And where were you?" the Doctor asked Robina.

"At a quarter past four…"she thought. "Well, I went to the toilet when I arrived, and then, um…Oh yes, I remember. I was preparing myself. Positively buzzing with excitement about the party…and the super fun of meeting Lady Eddy."

_At least she's a slightly better liar. _Lily commented.

"We've only got your word for it." The Doctor pointed out.

"That's your problem, not mine." She replied.

"And where were you, sir?" the Doctor asked.

"Quarter past four?" Hugh asked. "Let me think…Oh yes, I remember…I was sitting in me study, reading through some military memoirs. Fascinating stuff. Took me back to me days in the army. Started reminiscing."

He got a blissful look on his face.

"Mafeking, you know." He said. "Terrible war."

_Maybe it is him._ Lily said. _Because if war inspires that reaction in him, we're dealing with a sociopath._

"Colonel, snap out of it." The Doctor said.

"I was in me study-" he started again.

"No, no, no-" the Doctor said. "Right out of it."

"Oh, sorry." Hugh said. "Got a bit…carried away there."

"And where were you at a quarter past four, my lady?" the Doctor asked.

"Now let me see…" Lady Eddison said. "Yes, I remember…I was sitting in the blue room taking my afternoon tea. It's a ritual of mine. I needed to gather strength for the duty of hostess. I then proceeded to the lawn, where I met…you, Doctor…and I said 'And who might you be and what are you doing here?' and you said, 'I'm the Doctor and this is Miss Donna Noble…"

_Oh dear lord._

"Yes, yes." The Doctor said. "You can stop now. I was there for that bit."

"Of course." Lady Eddison said.

She belched.

"Excuse me." She said.

* * *

The Doctor and Agatha paced in front of the fireplace.

"No alibis for any of them." Agatha said. "The secret adversary remains hidden. We must look for a motive."

She changed to a Belgian accent.

"Use the little grey cells." She said, tapping her head.

"Oh yes, little grey cells." The Doctor said. "Good old Poirot."

He sat down in the chair.

"Y'know, I've been to Belgium." He said. "Yeah, I remember…I was deep in the Ardennes trying to find Charlemagne…he'd been kidnapped by an insane computer."

_Doctor!_ Lily yelled in his head.

"Doctor!" Agatha called at the same time. "Doctor!"

"Sorry." He said.

"Charlemagne lived centuries ago." Agatha pointed out.

"I've got a good memory." He told her.

"For such an experienced detective, you missed a big clue." She told him.

"What, that bit of paper Lily and I saw you nick out of the fireplace?" he asked.

"You were looking the other way!" she told him.

"Yeah, but we saw you reflected in the glass of the bookcase." The Doctor replied.

"You crafty man." She told him.

He smirked.

"This is all that was left." She said, handing him the scrap.

"What's that first letter?" he asked, studying it. "N or M?"

"It's an M." Agatha told him. "The word is 'maiden'."

"Maiden!" he exclaimed. He lowered his voice again. "What does that mean?"

Agatha sighed.

"We're still no further forward." She said. "Our nemesis remains at large. Unless Miss Noble and Lady Carter have found something."

* * *

Lily was giving Donna a run down on the questioning downstairs as they made their way through the rooms.

They went to the next room, only to find it locked.

"You won't find anything in there." A voice said.

Lily and Donna jumped and turned to find Greeves standing behind them.

"How come it's locked?" Lily asked.

"Lady Eddison commands it so." Greeves told them.

"And we command it otherwise." Donna told him. "Scotland Yard, pip-pip."

Greeves sighed and went to open it.

"Why is it locked in the first place?" Lily asked.

"Many years ago, when my father was butler to the family, Lady Eddison returned from India with malaria. She locked herself in this room for six months until she recovered." He told them. "Since then, this room has remained…undisturbed."

Donna reached forward and opened the door, which creaked with disuse.

"There's nothing in here." Greeves told them.

"How long's it been empty?" Donna asked.

Inside was a bureau, some shelves, a fireplace, and a bed with a teddy bear on it. Everything covered in a layer of dust and cobwebs.

"Forty years." Greeves answered.

"Why would she seal it off?" Donna wondered. "All right, we need to investigate. You just…butle off."

She closed the door in his face.

The two woman walked around the room. Donna made her way over to the bed and picked up the bear, while Lily moved to the window, following the sound of buzzing.

"Well, at least they've still got bees in 1926." She told Donna with a grin.

She reached for the drapes.

"Calm down." She said. "I'm coming. I'll let you out."

"I shall find you with my amazing powers of detection." Donna said, with a Belgian accent and holding up her magnifying glasses.

Lily laughed and pulled back the curtain.

"Oh, my god." Donna breathed.

"What?" Lily asked, turning to the window.

Outside was a giant wasp. Lily started to back away, but it broke through, knocking her to the ground and causing a piece of glass to fly up and cut her head, leaving a bleeding gash.

"That's impossible." Donna said.

She ran to her friend and pulled her up.

"Doctor!" she yelled.

She held her magnifying glasses in the sun and aimed the beam at the wasp. As it screeched, she helped Lily through the door and slammed it behind them.

"Doctor!" she screamed again.

The wasp's stinger came through the door and she screamed again. Finally, the Doctor and Agatha came running up.

"Lily!" the Doctor yelled, seeing the blood running down his mate's face.

"There is a giant…wasp!" Donna told him.

"What do you mean, giant wasp?" the Doctor asked.

"She means a wasp that's giant!" Lily told him, wiping blood away from her eye.

He got out a handkerchief and pressed it against the wound, making her hiss.

"I'm fine." She told him, taking the cloth away from him and pressing it to her head.

"It's only a silly little insect." Agatha said.

"When I say 'giant', I don't mean big." Donna told her. "I mean flippin' enormous! Look at its sting!"

"Let me see!" the Doctor said, moving into the room. "It's gone. Buzzed off."

He moved Lily to the bed before walking to the window.

"But that's fascinating." Agatha said, leaning down to examine the stinger that was now imbedded in the door.

"D-d-d-d-d-d-don't touch it." He told her. "Don't touch it. Let me."

He took out a vial and collected a sample.

"Giant wasp…" he said. "Well, there are tons of amorphous insectivorous lifeforms, but…none in this galactic vector."

"Great, just what we need." Lily said.

"I think I understood some of those words." Agatha said. "Enough to know that you're completely potty."

The other three ignored her.

"Lost its sting, though." Donna said. "That makes it defenseless."

"Please, a creature that size?" Lily said. "It's able to re-grow it."

"Uh, can we return to sanity?" Agatha asked. "There are no such things as giant wasps."

"Exactly!" the Doctor said. "So…the question is…"

"What's it doing here?" Lily finished.

A/N: Second chapter done. What do you think? Let me know. Also, how many of you are now entering intense withdrawal symptoms waiting for Christmas and the return of Doctor Who? I know I am. Maybe we should start a support group. Doctor Whovians Anonymous. DWA. I like it. My name is Abbey and I it has been 29 days since my last new episode of Doctor Who. And I'm miserable.

Abbey


	34. The Unicorn and the Wasp: Poison!

Disclaimer: I give up. I shall die a bitter old lady, mourning the Doctor who was never mine.

Ch. 34:

Donna and Agatha were following the Doctor and Lily down the stairs as he worried over her.

"Will you just stop?" he demanded.

She sighed and did as he asked.

"Thank you." He said.

He removed the handkerchief from her forehead and checked the rapidly healing wound.

"I guess it's a good thing you heal as fast as you do." He said. "Considering how often you get hurt."

"I told you I was fine." She said. "Now will you stop worrying?"

"Never." He told her.

She smiled and shook her head.

Suddenly, they heard a scream and they took off at a run.

Outside, they found Miss Chandrakala lying in the drive with a gargoyle on top of her.

"The poor, little…child." She whispered, before closing her eyes and dying.

They heard a buzzing and the Doctor looked up.

"There!" he said pointing. "Come on!"

They turned and ran back inside.

"Well, this makes a change." Donna said as they ran up the stairs. "There's a monster, and we're chasing it!"

"Can't be a monster." Agatha protested. "It's a trick. They do it with mirrors."

They reached the top of the stairs and stopped when they spotted the wasp.

"By all that's holy…" Agatha gasped.

"Oh, but you are wonderful!" the Doctor said as the wasp turned to face them. "Now just stop there."

It rushed them, stinger first, and they ducked as it passed.

"Oi!" Donna yelled. "Flyboy!"

She held up the magnifying glass.

It quickly turned tail and fled.

"Don't let it get away!" the Doctor shouted. "Quick, before it reverts to human form!"

They chased after it.

They turned into the hallway that held all the bedrooms.

"Where are you?" the Doctor yelled. "Come on! There's nowhere to run-Show yourself!"

The doors in the hallway opened and everyone stood there staring at him.

"Oh, come on!" Lily moaned.

"That's just cheating." The Doctor agreed.

* * *

Everyone gathered in the sitting room.

"My faithful companion!" Lady Eddison said, in tears. "This is terrible!"

"Excuse me, my lady." Davenport said. "She was on her way to tell you something."

"She never found me." Lady Eddison replied. "She had an appointment with death instead."

"She said, 'the poor little child'." The Doctor said. "Does that mean anything to anyone?"

"No children in this house for years." Hugh answered. He looked at his son. "Highly unlikely there will be."

"Mrs. Christie, you must have twigged something." Lady Eddison said. "You've written simply the best detective stories."

"Tell us…" Golightly said. "What would Poirot do?"

"Heavens' sake!" Hugh exclaimed. "Cards on the table, woman! You should be helping us!"

"But-I'm merely a writer." Agatha protested.

"But surely you can crack it." Robina said. "These events they're exactly like one of your plots."

"That's what I've been saying." Donna said. "Agatha, that's got to mean something."

"Hey!" Lily yelled at everyone. "Back off!"

"I've no answers." Agatha said. "None. I'm sorry, all of you, I'm truly sorry, but I've failed. If anyone can help us, it's the Doctor, not me."

She ran out of the room and everyone turned to stare at the Doctor.

"If you even think of mobbing him, I'll kick all y'all's asses, capish?" Lily told them, glaring. "My head hurts too much for this crap."

The Doctor sighed.

* * *

Donna found Agatha in a small gazebo outside.

"Do you know what I think?" she asked, sitting down next to the writer. "Those books of yours, one day they could turn them into films. They could be talking pictures."

"Talking pictures?" Agatha asked. "Pictures that…talk? What do you mean?"

"Oh blimey, I've done it again." Donna muttered.

"I appreciate you trying to be kind, but you're right-these murders are like my own creations." Agatha told her. "It's as though someone's mocking me. I've had enough scorn for one lifetime."

"Yeah." Donna said. "Thing is, I had this bloke once, I was engaged, and I loved him, I really did. Turns out he was lying through his teeth. But you know what? I moved on. I was lucky-I found the Doctor and Lily. It changed my life. There's always someone else."

"I see." Agatha said. "Is my marriage the stuff of gossip now?"

"No, I just-Sorry." Donna replied.

Agatha sighed.

"No matter." She said. "The stories are true. I found my husband with another woman. A younger, prettier woman. Isn't that always the way?"

"Well, mine was with a giant spider but same difference." Donna told her.

"You and Lily and the Doctor talk such wonderful nonsense." Agatha said, laughing.

"Agatha, people love your books, they really do." Donna told her seriously. "They're gonna be reading them for years to come."

"Hello." Agatha said, spotting something. "What's that?"

She got up and walked away.

"Those flowerbeds were perfectly neat earlier." She said as she walked over. "Now some of the stalks are bent over."

She picked up a small leather box.

"There you go." Donna said, smiling. "Who'd ever notice that? You're brilliant."

* * *

Donna and Agatha made their way back to the sitting room to show the Doctor and Lily their prize.

As they entered, the Doctor was slipping the sonic screwdriver back into his pocket and the only evidence that Lily's head had ever been cut was a thin line of new skin.

"But that's-" Agatha marveled before shaking her head. "Never mind. Look at what we found in the garden."

The Doctor opened the case to find an array of tools.

"Ooh…" he said. "Someone came tooled up… the sort of stuff a thief would use."

"Can I-?" Lily asked.

"No." he replied, shutting the case.

"But-" she continued.

"No." he repeated. "Besides, why do you even need lock picks?"

"Well I can't exactly use my old method, can I?" she shot back.

"The answer's still no." he told her.

"Spoil sport." She told him.

"The Unicorn." Agatha interrupted. "He's here."

"The Unicorn and the Wasp." The Doctor murmured.

Greeves entered the room with a tray.

"Your drinks, ladies, Doctor." He said, setting it down.

"Very good, Greeves." The Doctor said.

They all took their drinks and Greeves left.

"What about the science stuff?" Donna asked. "What did you find?"

"Hm," the Doctor said. "Vespiform sting. Vespifroms have got hives in the Silifax Galaxy."

"Again you talk like Edward Lear." Agatha told him.

"For some reason, this one's behaving like a character in one of your books." The Doctor continued, taking a sip.

"Come on, Agatha." Donna said. "What would Miss Marple do? She'd have overheard something vital by now because the murderer thinks she's just a harmless old lady."

"Clever idea." Agatha agreed. "Miss Marple-who writes those?"

"Um, copyright: Donna Noble." Donna said. "Add it to the list."

"Donna." Lily said suddenly.

"Ok, we could split the copyright." Donna conceded.

"No, something's wrong." Lily said moving quickly to the Doctor sided.

He was sitting very still.

"Something's inhibiting my enzymes." He said soflty.

He yelled as he jerked forward, Lily catching him.

"I've been poisoned!" he said, convulsing.

"What do we do?" Donna asked. "What do we do?"

Agatha picked up the glass and sniffed it.

"Bitter almonds." She said. "It's cyanide. Sparkling cyanide!"

In a second, Lily had the Doctor up and they were running out the door, Agatha and Donna following.

* * *

The couple staggered into the kitchen and the Doctor grabbed Davenport by the lapels.

"Ginger beer." The Doctor demanded.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked.

"I need ginger beer." The Doctor told him, running to the shelves.

"The gentleman's gone mad!" a maid proclaimed.

"Less judging, more helping." Lily told her.

The Doctor found the ginger beer and drank some before pouring the rest over his head.

"I'm an expert in poisons, Doctor." Agatha told him. "it's fatal! There's no cure!"

"Not for him." Lily told her as the Doctor spit out the drink and gripped the table.

"I can stimulate the inhibited enzymes into reversal." The Doctor told her. "Protein! I need protein!"

"Here." Lily said, handing him a jar of walnuts.

He shoved them in his mouth and continued to try to talk.

"We can't understand you." Donna told him. "Lily?"

She shook her head.

"His mind's moving too fast and it's not clear." She told the other woman desperately. "The poison is impairing his ability to think clearly. My brain's too human. I can't follow."

The Doctor shook his hand.

"How many words?" Donna asked.

He held up one finger.

"One word." Lily said.

"Shake?" Donna asked. "Milk? Shake? Milk? Milk!"

The Doctor shook his head.

"No, not milk." She said. "Shake, shake, shake-cocktail shaker! What do you want, a Harvey Wallbanger?"

The Doctor stared at her.

"Salt!" Lily said suddenly.

He nodded and swallowed.

"Yes, salt!" he said. "Harvey Wallbanger?"

"Well, I don't know!" Donna said.

"How is Harvey Wallbanger one word?" he demanded.

"Concentrate!" Lily ordered. "Will this work?"

"What is it?" he asked.

"Salt." She told him.

"That's too salty!" he replied.

"Of course it is!" she said sarcastically.

"What about this?" Agatha asked, holding out a jar.

"Hmm." He said, grabbing the jar and downing it.

"What's that?" Donna asked.

"Anchovies." Agatha replied.

"Oh, great." Lily said.

The Doctor gestured again, hands up, palms out.

"What is it?" Donna asked. "What else? It's a song. 'Mammy'. I don't know, 'Camptown Races'?"

Lily put her face in her hands.

"Camptown Races?" the Doctor demanded.

"Well, all right then." Donna shot back. "Towering Inferno."

"It's a shock!" the Doctor told her. "Look! Shock! I need a shock!"

"All right, then, big shock coming up." Donna said.

She grabbed him and kissed him.

A second later, the Doctor back away and threw his head back, black smoke escaping from his mouth. When it dissipated, he groaned.

"Ah! Detox." He said, wiping his mouth. "I must do that more often."

He looked at Donna, who was staring at him.

"I mean the-the detox." He said.

"Doctor, you and Lily are impossible!" Agatha said. "She has head wounds that heal in a matter of hours and you survive cyanide!"

She turned to Donna.

"Who are they?" she demanded.

Donna opened her mouth and turned back to the other two, but shut her mouth when she saw them.

The Doctor was holding a shaking Lily in his arms, hushing her.

"It's alright." They heard him whisper to her. "I'm alright. Everything is alright."

He just held her as she sobbed.

"They're the Doctor and Lily." Donna said.

* * *

They all sat around the dinner table as a thunderstorm raged outside. The Doctor sat with Lily and Donna on either side of him. Under the table, Lily held his hand tightly. She had refused to let go all afternoon.

"A terrible day for all of us." He said. "The professor struck down, Miss Chandrakala cruelly taken from us, and yet, we still take dinner."

"We are British, Doctor." Lady Eddison told him. "What else must we do?"

"And then someone tried to poison me…" The Doctor continued. "Any one of you had the chance to put cyanide in my drink. But it rather gave me an idea."

"And what would that be?" Golightly asked.

"Well, poison." He replied.

Everyone but Lily stopped eating.

"Drink up." He said as they looked at him. "I've laced the soup with pepper."

"Ah, I thought it was jolly spicy." Hugh said.

"But the active ingredient of pepper is piperine." The Doctor said. "Traditionally used as an insecticide."

Thunder cracked.

"Oh, anyone got the shivers?" he asked.

Thunder crashed again and the lights went out. One of the windows burst open and the wind snuffed out the candels.

"What the deuce is that?" Hugh demanded.

"Listen!" the Doctor ordered. "Listen! Listen! Listen!"

There was a loud buzzing.

"No…" Lady Eddison said. "No, it can't be!"

"Show yourself, demon!" Agatha demanded, standing up.

"Nobody move!" the Doctor ordered. "No, don't! Stay where you are!"

The Vespiform showed itself.

Greeves quickly pulled Donna out of the room and the Doctor grabbed Agatha's arm as he pulled Lily out of the room.

"Out!" he shouted. "Out! Out! Out! Out!"

The Doctor pulled them out into the hallway where Greeves and Donna were already.

"I'll cover you, Agatha." The Doctor said as Lily ran to the wall and grabbed a sword off the wall. "You've got a long, long, life to lead yet."

Lily tossed him the sword and he caught it.

"Well, we know the butler didn't do it." Donna said.

"It's never the butler." Lily told her.

"Well if it's never the butler," the Doctor said. "Then who is it?"

He rushed back into the room and they followed.

When they arrived, the Vespiform was gone. A second later, the lights came back on.

"My jewelry…" Lady Eddison gasped, feeling her neck. "The Firestone-it's gone! Stolen!"

"Roger." Davenport said sadly, suddenly.

They all looked over and Robina screamed. Lady Eddison got up and moved around the table.

"My son…" she cried. "My child!"

There was Roger, face down in the soup, a knife in his back.

A/N: Third chapter done. Oh god, every step forward is a step closer to River. Heaven protect me and give me the strength to not have Lily throttle her. Lol. Let me know what you guys thought!

Abbey


	35. The Unicorn and the Wasp: Solved!

Disclaimer: Everything sucks. And it's all your fault BBC. Why couldn't you just leave us alone?

Ch. 35:

The Doctor stood in front of the fireplace in the sitting room, facing Agatha, who sat on one couch and Lily, who sat with her feet pulled under her on the other couch.

The door opened and Donna walked in.

"That poor footman." She said. "Roger's dead and he can't even mourn him."

She sighed.

"1926." She said as she sat next to Agatha. "It's more like the dark ages."

"Did you enquire about the necklace?" Agatha asked.

"Lady Eddison brought it back from India." Donna told her. "It's worth thousands."

"This thing can sting, it can fly…" the Doctor ground out. "It could wipe us all out in seconds-why is it playing this game?"

Lily held out her hand to him and pulled him down next to her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and curled into his side. A second later, she felt his body relax slightly as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Every murder is essentially the same-" Agatha told them. "They are committed because somebody wants something."

"What does a Vespiform want?" the Doctor asked.

He tensed again and Lily held him tighter until he relaxed again.

"Doctor, stop it." Agatha said. "The murderer is a human as you or I."

"You're right." The Doctor said, sitting up. "I've been so caught up with giant wasps, I've forgotten."

He moved so he was sitting across from her, Lily moving to accommodate him.

"You're the expert." He told her.

"Look, I told you." She said. "I'm just a…purveyor of nonsense."

"Oh, no, no, no, no, 'cause plenty of people write detective stories, but yours are the best." The Doctor told her. "And why? Why are you so good, Agatha Christie? Because you understand. You've lived…you've fought…you've had your heart broken. You know about people-their passions, their hope and despair and anger, all of those tiny huge things that can turn the most ordinary person into a killer. Just think, Agatha. If anyone can solve this, it's you."

* * *

Everyone gathered in the sitting room and the Doctor got up and stood in front of the fireplace.

"I've called you here on this endless night because we have a murderer in our midst." He told them. "And when it comes to detection, there's none finer…Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Agatha Christie."

He moved over to the two chairs where Donna and Lily were sitting, munching on some fruit, and sat on the arm of Lily's chair, putting his arm across the back while she rested hers on his leg. She held the plate up to him and he took a grape.

Agatha stood in front of the assembled suspects.

"This is a crooked house…" she told them. "A house of secrets. To understand the solution, we must examine them all. Starting with you…Miss Redmond."

"But I'm innocent, surely." Robina protested.

"You've never met these people and these people never met you." Agatha told her. "I think the real Robina Redmond never left London. You're impersonating her!"

"How silly." Robina said. "What proof do you have?"

"You said you'd been to the toilet…" Agatha said.

"Oh, I know this!" Donna said. "If she was really posh, she'd say 'loo'."

"Shh!"Lily told her, waving her hand at Donna. "I wanna see what happens!"

"Earlier today, Miss Noble and I found this on the lawn…" Agatha continued, holding up the leather box. "Right beneath your bathroom window. You must have heard Miss Noble and Lady Carter were searching the bedrooms and you panicked. You ran upstairs and disposed of the evidence."

"I've never seen that thing before in my life." Robina told her.

"What's inside it?" Lady Eddison asked.

"The tools of your trade, Miss Redmond," Agatha said, opening the case. "Or , should I say…the Unicorn?"

She showed the tools to everyone.

"You came to this house with one sole intention-" Agatha accused, "to steal the Firestone!"

Robina hesitated.

"Oh, all right then." She said, her true cockney accent coming out. "It's a fair cop."

She got up and moved to stand next to the Colonel.

"Yes, I'm the bleedin' Unicorn." She told them. "Ever so nice to meet you, I don't think. I took my chance in the dark and nabbed it."

The Doctor got up and moved to Agatha's side.

She reached into her dress and pulled out the jewel.

"Go on then, ya nobs, arrest me." She told them. "Sling me in jail."

She threw the necklace at the Doctor, who caught it.

"So, is she the murderer?" Donna asked.

The Doctor sat down on the couch and Lily got up and leaned on the back of the couch behind him as he studied the Firestone.

"Don't be so thick." Robina told her. "I might be a thief, but I ain't no killer."

"Quite." Agatha agreed. "There are darker motives at work, and, in examining this household…we come to you…Colonel."

"Damn it, woman!" Hugh proclaimed. "You with your perspicacity! You've rumbled me!"

He got up from his wheelchair and stood.

"You-you can walk?" Lady Eddison asked, confused. "But why?"

"My darling, how else could I be certain of keeping you by my side?" he asked.

"I don't understand." She said.

"You're still a beautiful woman, Clemency." Hugh told her. "Sooner or later, some chap will turn your head. I couldn't bear that. Staying in the chair was the only way I could be certain of keeping you."

He turned back to Agatha.

"Confound it, Mrs. Christie!" he said. "How did you discover the truth?"

"Um, actually I had no idea." Agatha told him. "I was just going to say you were completely innocent."

Lily turned and pressed her face into the Doctor's shoulder to muffle her chuckling.

"Ah…" Hugh said. "Oh."

"Sorry." Agatha told him.

"Well, shall I sit down then?" he asked.

"I think you better had." Agatha agreed.

"So, he's not the murderer?" Lily asked, once she had caught her breath.

"Indeed not." Agatha agreed. "To find the truth…let's return…" she held out her hand and the Doctor gave her the Firestone, "to this-far more than the Unicorn's object of desire. The Firestone has quite a history. Lady Eddison."

"I've done nothing." Lady Eddison proclaimed.

"You brought it back from India, did you not?" Agatha asked her. "Before you met the Colonel. You came home with malaria and confined yourself to this house for six months, in a room that has been locked ever since, which I rather think means-"

"Stop, please!" Lady Eddison interrupted.

"I'm so sorry." Agatha told her. "But you had fallen pregnant in India…unmarried and ashamed, you hurried back to England with you confidante, a young maid, later to become housekeeper, Miss Chandrakala."

"Clemency!" Hugh gasped. "Is this true?"

"My poor baby." Lady Eddison said sadly. "I had to give him away. Oh, the shame of it."

"But you've never said a word!" Hugh said.

"I had no choice." Lady Eddison told him. "Imagine the scandal, the family name. I'm British-I carry on."

"And it was no ordinary pregnancy." The Doctor said.

"How can you know that?" Lady Eddison demanded.

"Excuse me, Agatha, this is my territory." He said. "But when you heard that buzzing sound in the dining room, you said, 'It can't be'. Why did you say that?"

"You'd never believe it." She replied.

"The Doctor has opened my mind to believe…many things." Agatha told her as she sat down.

"It was forty years ago…" Lady Eddison told them slowly. "In the heat of Delhi one night. I was alone and that's when I saw it-a dazzling light in the sky. The next day, he came to the house-Christopher, the most handsome man I'd ever seen. Our love blazed like a wildfire and I held nothing back. And in return, he showed me the incredible truth about himself. He made himself human to learn about us. This was his true shape."

She took a deep breath.

"I love him so much it didn't matter." She continued. "But he was stolen from me. 1885, the year of the Great Monsoon. The river Jumna rose up and broke its banks. He was taken by the flood. But Christopher left me a parting gift-a jewel like no other. I wore it always. Part of me never forgot. I keep it close. Always."

Lily's hand unconsciously crept up to grasp the Firepoint hanging around her own neck.

"Just like a man-" Robina said, "flashes his family jewels and you end up with a bun in the over."

"A 'poor little child'." Agatha said, picking up the story. "Forty years ago, Miss Chandrakala took that newborn babe to an orphanage. But Professor Peach worked it out. He found the birth certificate."

"Oh, that's 'maiden'-" Donna said, "maiden name."

"Precisely." Agatha confirmed.

"So, she killed him." Donna concluded.

"I did not!" Lady Eddison protested.

"Miss Chandrakala feared that the professor had unearthed your secret." Agatha told her. "She was coming to warn you."

"So, she killed her." Donna said.

"I did not!" Lady Eddison repeated.

"How does that even make sense?" Lily asked her.

Donna shrugged.

"Lady Eddison is innocent." Agatha announced. "Because at this point…Doctor?"

"Thank you." He said, standing.

Lily quickly slid into his spot.

"Because at this point," the Doctor said, continuing, "when we consider the lies and secrets and the key to these events, then we have to consider…it was you, Donna Noble…-"

He pointed at her.

"What ?" she demanded. "Who did I kill? I didn't kill anyone! Why don't you accuse Lily, huh?"

"Hey!" Lily yelled. "I didn't kill anyone. But we know how you get when you're in a temper…"

"Will both of you stop it?" The Doctor demanded.

"Sorry." They both muttered.

"Thank you." He replied. "And if you all had just waited a moment, you would have heard me say that Donna didn't kill anyone, but she was the one who said it all along, the vital clue-that this whole thing is being acted out like a murder mystery. Which means…it was you, Agatha Christie."

He pointed at her.

"I beg your pardon, sir?" she demanded.

"So, she killed them." Donna said.

"Will you stop that?" Lily asked, reaching over the back of the couch to swat at her.

"No, but she wrote." The Doctor continued, grabbing Lily's hand and forcing it back into her lap. "She wrote those brilliant, clever books. And who's her greatest admirer? The moving finger points…at you, Lady Eddison."

"Oh, leave me alone!" she moaned.

"So, she did kill them." Donna said.

"If you don't stop that, I will leap over this couch and pummel you." Lily said, put the Doctor held her in place.

Donna stuck her tongue out at Lily.

"No, but just think…" the Doctor said. "Last Thursday night, what were you doing?"

"Uh, I was, uh…I was in the library." Lady Eddison answered. "I was reading my favorite Agatha Christie thinking about her plots, and how clever she must be. How is that relevant?"

"Just think." The Doctor told them. "What else happened Thursday night?"

_You might want to move next to Donna._ The Doctor said before turning to Golightly.

Lily quickly got up and went to sit next to Donna, taking a piece of fruit as she sat.

"I'm sorry?" Golightly asked.

"You said on the lawn this afternoon." The Doctor told him. "Last Thursday , those boys broke into your church."

"That's correct…" Golightly replied. "They did. I discovered the two of them-thieves in the night. I was most perturbed. But I apprehended them."

"Really?" Lily asked. "A priest, single-handily subdued two young boys?"

"A man in his forties?" the Doctor asked. "Or, should I say, forty years old…exactly."

"Oh, my God!" Lady Eddison gasped.

"Lady Eddison, your child-how old would he be now?" the Doctor asked.

"Forty." Lady Eddison whispered. "He's…forty."

"Your child has come home." The Doctor told her.

"Ha!" Golightly exclaimed. "This is poppycock!"

"Oh?" the Doctor replied. "You said you were taught by the Christian fathers, meaning, raised in an orphanage."

"My son!" Lady Eddison exclaimed. "Can it be?"

"You found those thieves, Reverend, and you got angry." The Doctor told him. "A proper, deep anger for the first time in your life and it broke the genetic lock. You changed. You realized your inheritance. After all these years…you knew who you were. Oh, then it all kicks off, 'cause this…" He held up the Firestone, "isn't just a jewel-it's a Vespiform telepathic recorder. It's part of you-your brain, your very essence. And when you activated, so did the Firestone. It beamed your full identity directly into your mind. And at the same time, it absorbed the works of Agatha Christie directly from Lady Eddison. The mechanics of those novels formed a template in your brain. You killed in this pattern because that's what you think the world is. Turns out we are in the middle of a murder mystery. One of yours, Dame Agatha."

He sat down on the arm of the sofa.

"'Dame'?" Agatha questioned.

Lily groaned and covered her face with her hand.

"So close." She told him.

"Sorry," he told Agatha. "Not yet."

"So, he killed them?" Donna asked. "Yes? Definitely?"

"Yes." The Doctor answered.

"Well, this has certainly been a most entertaining evening." Golightly said. "Really, you can't believe any of this, surely, Lady Eddizz-"

"Lady who?" the Doctor asked.

"Lady Eddizzon…" Golightly struggled to get out.

"Little bit of buzzing there, Vicar?" the Doctor asked.

"Ixnay on the whole provoking the killer giant wasp-ay." Lily muttered.

"Don't make me angry." Golightly told them, standing up.

"Why?" the Doctor asked. "What happens then?"

"Damn it!" Golightly shouted. "You humanzzz! Worshipping your tribal sky godzzz!"

"Okay." Lily told him. "For now, you're gonna wanna stay away from words with s's in them."

"I thought you didn't want to provoke the giant killer wasp." The Doctor told her.

Lily shrugged.

"I can't help myself." She told him.

"I am so much more!" he shouted at them. "That night, the universe exploded in my mind! I wanted to take what wazz mine. And you, Agatha Christie, with your railway station bookstall romancezzz…What'zzz to stop me killing you?"

"Oh, my dear God!" Lady Eddison said, reaching for him. "My child!"

"What'zzz to stop me killing you all?" he demanded, transforming.

"Forgive me!" she shouted.

"No, Clemency!" Hugh shouted. He and Greeves pulled her away to the door. "Keep away! Keep away, my darling!"

"No!" Agatha shouted, holding up the Firestone. "No more murder! If my imagination made you kill, then my imagination will find a way to stop you, foul creature!"

She ran out of the room.

The Doctor, Lily, and Donna chased after her and the Vespiform chased them.

"Great!" Donna shouted. "Now it's chasing us!"

"Well you had to know that wouldn't last!" Lily shouted back.

They ran outside and shut the doors behind them. They watched as Agatha drove by them, honking the horn, and stopped.

"She has a car." Lily pointed out.

"Come on!" the Doctor shouted as they ran towards the car.

As they reached about the halfway point, the Vespiform broke through the door.

"Over here!" Agatha shouted. "Come and get me, Reverend!"

"Agatha, what are you doing?" the Doctor shouted.

"If I started this, Doctor, then I must stop it!" she yelled back before driving off.

The Doctor spotted another car and ran to it.

"Come on!" he shouted.

The Vespiform hesitated before flying after Agatha's car. The Doctor, Lily, and Donna followed after in the second car.

"You said this is the night Agatha Christie loses her memory." Donna said.

"Remember the thing out fixed points and points in flux?" Lily asked her.

"Yeah." Donna replied.

"Well this is one of those moments where time is in flux." Lily told her. "Loses her memory could easily turn into loses her life and all of history could be changed."

"But where is she going?" Donna yelled.

The Doctor spotted a sign for 'Silent Pool'.

"The lake!" he yelled. "She's heading for the lake! What's she doing?"

They drove up just as she was getting out of the car.

"Here I am!" she shouted, holding up the Firestone. "The honey in the trap. Come to me, Vespiform."

"She's controlling it." Lily marveled.

"It's mind is based on her thought processes." The Doctor said as they got out. "They're linked."

"Quite so, Doctor." Agatha said. "If I die, then this creature might die with me."

"Don't hurt her!" the Doctor shouted to the Vespiform as they ran to Agatha's side. "You're not meant to be like this. You've got the wrong template in your mind."

"He's not listening." Donna said.

She suddenly grabbed the Firestone out of Agatha's hand and threw it in the lake. The Vespiform dove into the water after it. The water bubbled and glowed purple as the Doctor, Lily, Donna, and Agatha looked on.

"How do you kill a wasp?" Donna asked. "Drown it. Just like its father."

"Donna, that thing couldn't help itself." The Doctor told her.

"Neither could she." Lily said, reaching out and taking his hand.

"Death comes as the end." Agatha said. "And justice is served."

"Murder at the vicar's rage." The Doctor said.

Lily and Donna rolled their eyes.

"Needs a bit of work." He conceded.

"Just one mystery left, Doctor." Agatha said. "Who exactly are you?"

He was saved from having to answer as Agatha doubled over in pain and the Doctor slowly lowered her to the ground.

"Oh!" he shouted. "It's the Firestone! It's part of the Vespiform's mind! It's dying and it's connected to Agatha!"

Agatha glowed with a purple light that soon faded and she fell into unconsciousness.

"It let her go." Lily said. "It chose to save her life."

"Is she all right, though?" Donna asked.

"Of course!" the Doctor exclaimed. "The amnesia! Wiped her mind of everything that happened. The wasp, the murders…"

"And us." Donna said. "She'll forget about us."

"Yeah, but we solved another riddle-the mystery of Agatha Christie." The Doctor said.

* * *

They stood outside the TARDIS, watching Agatha walk away from them.

"The next day, her car gets found by the side of the lake." The Doctor told them. "A few days later, she turns up at a hotel in Harrogate…with no idea of what happened."

Agatha stopped and looked back at them.

"No one will ever know." Lily finished.

Agatha turned back around and finished climbing the steps to the hotel.

"Lady Eddison, the colonel, and all the staff-what about them?" Donna asked.

"A shameful story." The Doctor replied. "They'd never talk of it-too British. While the Unicorn does a bunk back to London Town, she can never say she was there."

"You all are completely nuts, you know that right?" Lily asked. "The whole damn country, out of your minds."

"But what happens to Agatha?" Donna asked.

"Oh, great life!" the Doctor replied. "Met another man, married again. Saw the world. Wrote and wrote and wrote."

"She never thought her books were any good, though." Donna said sadly. "And she must have spent all those years wondering."

The Doctor turned and led them back into the TARDIS.

"Thing is, I don't think she ever quite forgot." The Doctor said. "Great mind like that, some of the details kept bleeding through. All the stuff her imagination could use. Like Miss Marple!"

"I should have made her sign a contract." Donna mourned.

"And-where is it?" the Doctor said. "Hold on…Here we go."

He lifted up a section of the TARDIS floor and pulled out a chest.

"C." he said as he opened it. "That is C for Cyberman."

He put the chest plate on the ground next to them.

"C for Carrionites."

He took out the globe and handed it to Lily.

"Hello, ladies." She said, shaking the globe vigorously.

"Lily!" he rebuked.

"Hey, they tried to pull Earth into a hell dimension and lost us a Shakespearean work, I think I'm allowed a little payback." She shot back, shaking it again.

"Give me that." He said, taking the globe and setting down.

He took out a bust of Caesar and set it aside before finding what he was looking for.

"And…" he said, pulling out the paperback. "Christie, Agatha."

He held it up for them.

"Look at that." He said.

It was a copy of Death in the Clouds with a large wasp on the cover.

"She did remember." Donna said.

"Somewhere at the back of her mind, it all lingered." The Doctor said. "And that's not all. Look at the copyright page."

"Please tell me it's not copyrighted Donna Noble." Lily said.

"Just look." The Doctor told them.

Donna took the book and opened it.

"Facsimile edition." She read. "Published in the year…5 billion?"

"People never stop reading them." The Doctor told the girls. "She is the best-selling novelist of all time."

"But she never knew." Donna said, sighing.

"Well, no one knows how they're gonna be remembered." The Doctor said. "We can only hope for the best. Maybe that's what kept her writing. The same thing that keeps me travelling. Onwards?"

Donna smiled.

"Onwards." She replied.

The Doctor looked at Lily.

She smiled and leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Onwards." She whispered.

He smiled and got up. He pressed some controls and they watched, smiling, as the column began to rise and fall.

A/N: That's it for the Unicorn and the Wasp. Silence in the Library is next. Better break out the achohol and pray I don't go off the rails and have River step on a land mine the moment she walks through the door. You know what'd be fun though? A story where you just kill off River in every way imaginable. I think I might have to write that. Lol.

Abbey


	36. Silence in the Library: Cryptic Messages

Disclaimer: I give up. If you haven't got it yet, you never will.

Ch. 36:

"Close your eyes and tell me what you see." A man's voice said.

"The Library." The girl replied.

"Open your eyes again." The Man's voice said.

The girl opened her eyes and saw that she was sitting in her living room, her father and Dr. Moon sitting across from her.

"Where are you now?" Dr. Moon asked.

"My living room, Dr. Moon." The girl replied.

"When you close your eyes…" Dr. Moon prompted.

"I go to the Library." She replied.

"Go to the Library now." Dr. Moon told her.

She closed her eyes and she was in a large circular room with several doors around and walls covered in books. In the middle of the room was an opening, letting sun in, and that's where she stood.

"Are you back there?" Dr. Moon's voice asked.

"Yes." The girl replied.

"The same part?" Dr. Moon asked.

"No, it's always different." The girl told him. "The Library goes on forever."

"How do you move around?" Dr. Moon asked.

"By wishing." She replied.

Suddenly, one of the doors began shaking.

"What's wrong?" Dr. Moon asked.

"Something's here!" she told him. "Someone's got in! No one's supposed to get in!"

"She's never mentioned anyone else." Came her dad's voice. "She's always been alone."

The doors were close to opening.

"Someone's in my Library!" the girl told them. "No, no, please, that's not allowed! It's not allowed!"

"Listen to me." Dr. Moon told her. "The Library is in your mind."

"I know it's in my mind-" the girl replied, "but something's got inside!"

The door burst open and a man with two women, one with black hair and one with red, came running in. The black haired woman but a book through the handle of the door to prevent anyone from coming through.

"Oh!" the man said, spotting the girl. "Hello!"

He put his hands in his pockets and walked towards her, followed by the two women.

"Sorry to burst in on you like this." He told her. "Okay if we stop her for a bit?"

The girl opened her eyes and she was back in her living room, gasping in terror.

* * *

"Books!" the Doctor called. "People never really stop loving books."

While he spoke, he picked up his coat and exited the TARDIS, followed by Donna and Lily, arm and arm. Outside was a large, empty reception area.

"51st century." He continued. "By now you've got holovids, direct to brain downloads, fiction mist, by you need the smell. The smell of books, ladies. Deep breath."

"This from a man who has a gigantic library at his disposal at all times." Lily muttered.

They crossed the room and walked through a door. The Doctor led them down and out to a balcony. Before them was a huge city of book shelves.

"The Library." The Doctor said. "So big it doesn't need a name. Just a great big 'the'."

"It's like a city." Donna marveled.

"It's a world." The Doctor told her. "Literally a world. The whole core of the planet is the index computer, biggest hard drive ever. And up here, every book ever written. Whole continents of Jeffery Archer, Bridget Jones, Monty Python's Big Red Book. Brand new editions, specially printed. We're near the equator, so…"

He licked his finger then lifted it up to feel the wind.

"This must be Biographies!" he told them. "I love biographies!"

"Yeah, very you." Donna told him. "Always a death at the end."

"Hey, you need a good death." Lily said, leaning against the rail. "Without death, there'd only be comedies, and where's the fun in that? Dying gives us size."

Donna picked up a book but the Doctor snatched it away.

"Oi!" he said. "Spoilers!"

"What?" Donna asked.

"These books are from your future." The Doctor told her. "You don't wanna read ahead, spoil all the surprises. Like peeking at the end."

"Isn't travelling with you one big spoiler?" Donna asked.

"I…try to keep you away from major plot developments." The Doctor said.

"And fails miserably at it." Lily added. "Take this little jaunt for instance. Does anyone in the class want to explain what's wrong with this picture? This is the largest Library in the universe. So where are the people? It's silent."

The Doctor walked to the nearest information terminal and began fiddling with it with the sonic screwdriver.

"The Library?" Donna asked.

"The planet." Lily clarified. "The whole damn planet is silent."

"Maybe it's a Sunday." Donna suggested.

"Nope." Lily replied. "_He_ doesn't land on Sundays. He thinks they're boring."

"They are boring!" The Doctor protested.

"You can't just assume a day is boring because of its name!" Lily shot back.

"Fine!" he said. "A hundred bucks says that if we land on ten different Sundays, not one will have anything interesting happening on it."

"I pick the Sundays, at random?" Lily asked.

"Sure." He agreed.

"Deal." She said.

"Can we get back to the silent planet?" Donna asked. "Maybe everyone's really, really quiet."

"Yeah, maybe." The Doctor said, humoring her. "But they'd still show up on the system."

"Doctor, why are we here?" she asked. "Really, why?"

"Oh, you know, just passing." The Doctor replied.

Lily snorted.

"No, seriously." She said. "It was all 'let's hit the beach' then suddenly we're in a library. It wouldn't have anything to do with why Lily's annoyed with you all of a sudden, would it? Because you two have been sniping at each other for the last hour and it's becoming kind of annoying."

"Now, that's interesting." The Doctor said, ignoring the question, while Lily nodded her head vigorously.

"What?" Donna sighed.

"Scanning for life forms." The Doctor told her. "If I do a scan looking for your basic humanoids-you know, your book readers, few limbs and a face, apart from us, I get nothing. Zippo, nada, see? Nobody home. But if I widen the parameters to any kind of life…"

He pushed some keys and a new number appeared.

"A million, million." Lily whispered.

"It gives up after that." The Doctor told them. "A million, million and it just calls it quits. Doesn't even bother trying to finish counting."

"But there's nothing here." Donna said. "There's no one."

"And not a sound." The Doctor said. "A million, million life forms, and silence in the library."

"But there's nothing but books." Lily said. She paused and looked at the surrounding books. "Someone please assure me that the books aren't alive."

No one said anything.

The Doctor slowly reached for a book.

"Welcome!"

They all jumped and Lily grabbed her chest.

"Oh for god's sake." She said. "I'm going back to the TARDIS. My heart isn't up to this."

"That came from in there." Donna said, pointing back to reception.

She and the Doctor started to walk back, but Lily stayed put.

"Oh yes, let walk _towards_ the creepy disembodied voice." She said.

When they didn't stop, she reluctantly followed.

"We're all certifiable, you know that right?" she asked as she caught up.

"And you're in a bad mood, you know that right?" the Doctor shot back.

Lily just glared at him.

Inside was a statue that looked like bad modern art piece with a face stuck on it.

"I am Courtesy Node 710/aqua." It said. "Please enjoy the Library and respect the personal access codes of all your fellow readers regardless of species or hygiene taboo."

"That face, it looks real." Donna said.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." The Doctor told her.

"But a statue with a real face, though!" she pushed. "It's a hologram or something, isn't it?"

"No, but really, it's…fine." He told her.

"Additional." The Node continued in its monotone voice. "There follows a brief message from the head librarian for your urgent attention. It has been edited for tone and content by Felman Lux Automated Decency Filter. Message follow. 'Run. For God's sake, run. Nowhere is safe. The Library has sealed itself, we can't…Oh, they're here. Arg. Slarg. Snick.' Message ends. Please switch off your mobile comm. units for the comfort of other readers."

There was silence.

"Okay." Lily said slowly. "That was horrifying. Let's go."

"That's why we're here…" the Doctor murmured, reaching out and grabbing Lily by the collar of her jacket. "Any other messages, same date stamp?"

"One additional message." The Node replied. "This message carries a Felman Lux coherency warning of 5, 0, 11…."

"Yeah, yeah, fine, fine, fine." The Doctor told it. "Just play it."

"Message follows. 'Count the shadows. For God's sake, remember…if you want to live, count the shadows.' Message ends."

"Donna, Lily…" the Doctor said.

"Yeah?" Donna replied.

"Stay out of the shadows." He told her.

"Why, what's in the shadows?"

"We never should have come here." Lily told him before stalking off, careful of the shadows.

The Doctor sighed and he and Donna followed her.

They walked through another door and arrived in a aisle between bookshelves. Lily stood staring up at the height of them. They went on as far as they could see.

"So…" Donna said. "We weren't just in the neighborhood."

"Yeah, I kind of, sort of, lied a bit." The Doctor told her. "I got a message on the psychic paper."

He showed it to her.

_The Library. Come as soon as you can. X._

"What do you think?" The Doctor asked. "Cry for help?"

"Cry for help-with a kiss?" Donna asked.

"Oh, we've all done that." The Doctor replied.

"Who's it from?" Donna asked.

"No idea." The Doctor told her.

"And you just came running." Lily said sarcastically. "Just dropped everything and came."

"This is what the fight is about?" Donna asked.

The couple ignored her.

"What was I supposed to do?" The Doctor demanded. "Ignore it because the fact that it has an x on the bottom bothers you?"

"I'm not bothered by the x." Lily told him dismissively. "I am bothered by the fact that you routinely run into situations without any regard for safety!"

"Um, guys?" Donna said.

"How do you know that the person didn't need help right away?" the Doctor asked.

"Guys?" Donna repeated.

"YOU HAVE A TIME MACHINE!" Lily yelled at him.

"GUYS!" Donna shouted.

"WHAT?" they both yelled back at her.

"You know that thing about staying out of the shadows?" she asked. "Well we're about to have a problem with that."

She pointed and they turned to look. At the end of the corridor, the lights were going out and the dark seemed to be advancing.

"Suggestion?" Lily said.

"Well, I wouldn't want to be accused of not taking into account everyone's safety." The Doctor said sarcastically.

"Can we please just run?" Donna demanded.

The trio took off down the aisle until they reached a door. The Doctor tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge.

"Come on!" he shouted.

"What, is it locked?" Lily asked.

"Jammed!" the Doctor replied. "The wood's warped!"

"Sonic it, use the thingy!" Donna shouted.

"I can't!" the Doctor shouted back. "It's wood!"

"What, it doesn't do wood?" Donna asked incredulously.

"Hang on, hang on." The Doctor said. "If I can vibrate the molecules, fry the bindings, I can shatterline the interface-"

"Seriously?" Lily interrupted.

"Oh, get out of the way!" Donna ordered.

He moved and she kicked the door open. They ran into the room, slamming the door shut after them. Lily quickly grabbed a book and shoved it through the handles to bolt it shut.

In the room was a floating orb.

"Oh!" the Doctor said as he spotted it. "Hello! Sorry to burst in on you like this. Okay if we stop here for a bit?"

Suddenly, the orb fell to the ground.

"What is it?" Donna asked.

"Security camera." The Doctor said. "Switched itself off."

He picked it up and began examining it.

* * *

Back in the living room, the girl was scared.

"They were in my Library." She said. "How can they be in my Library?"

"Who were they?" Dr. Moon asked.

The girl suddenly clasped her hands to her head in pain.

"What's that?" she cried. "What's that noise?"

"What noise?" he Dad asked, worried.

* * *

In the Library, the Doctor was using the sonic screwdriver on the security camera.

"Nice door skills." Lily told Donna as he worked.

"Yeah, well, you know, boyfriends…" Donna said. "Sometimes you need the element of surprise."

"Yeah, I can see that." Lily said, glaring at the Doctor, who ignored her.

"What was that, what was after us?" Donna asked, trying to keep them from fighting again. "I mean did we just run away from a power cut?"

"Possibly." The Doctor replied.

"Are we safe here?" Donna asked.

"Course we're safe." The Doctor replied. "There's a little shop."

"If that's your definition of safe, we need to get you a new dictionary." Lily told him. "I'm sure this place must have one. I could go find it for you."

"Gotcha!" the Doctor exclaimed.

* * *

The girl was laying on the ground, crying in agony.

"No, stop it, no, no!" she cried.

* * *

The same words scrolled across the display of the security camera.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The Doctor told it, stopping what he was doing. "I really am, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He put the sphere down.

"It's alive." He told the girls.

"You said it was a security camera." Donna told him.

"It is." The Doctor replied. "It's an alive one."

"Oh good." Lily said. "We can add torture of living cameras to the list of things you've done today."

He glared at her.

* * *

The girl was now laying still and quiet on the floor.

"Can you hear me?" Dr. Moon asked. "Are you all right?"

"Others are coming." She told him.

"Who's coming?" Dr. Moon asked. "Who are the others?"

"The Library is breached." She told him. "Others are coming."

"What others?" Dr. Moon asked.

* * *

"Others?" Donna read off the screen. "What's it mean, 'others'?"

Neither the Doctor nor Lily had an answer.

A/N: Okay, so I know this is a little different than normal. Usually I only do scenes that actually contain the Doctor, Lily, or the companion, but I felt the Little Girl scenes were important, so I'll be including them. So let me know what you think.

Abbey


	37. Silence in the Library: Unknown Friends

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I don't even own these words.

Ch. 37:

When neither the Doctor nor Lily answered, Donna made her way over to one of the nodes.

"Excuse me," she said, "what does it mean, 'others'?"

"That's barely more than a speak your weight machine." The Doctor told her. "It can't help you.

"So, why's it got a face?" she asked.

"Oh, don't ask that." Lily told her.

"Why?" Donna asked.

"This flesh aspect was donated by Mark Chambers on the occasion of his death." The Node said.

"That's why." Lily sighed.

"It's a real face?" Donna screeched.

"It has been actualized individually for you from the any facial aspects saved to our extensive flesh banks." It told her. "Please enjoy."

"It chose me a dead face it thought I'd like?" Donna demanded, shocked. "That statue's got a real dead person's face on it…"

"I told you not to ask." Lily replied.

"It's the 51st century," the Doctor told her. "That's…basically like donating a park bench."

"It's donating a face!" she told him, backing away from the Node in horror.

"No, Donna, wait!" Lily yelled.

The Doctor grabbed her from backing into a shadow.

"Oi!" Donna yelled. "Hands! Just because you're fighting with Lily doesn't mean I'm dealing with that sort of stuff!"

"The shadow, look!" he told her, letting go.

"What about it?" she asked.

"'Count the Shadows'." The Doctor told her.

"One." Donna replied. "There, I counted it, one shadow."

"Yeah…" Lily said, looking around. "But what's casting it?"

They all looked around, but couldn't find anything.

"Oh!" the Doctor suddenly exclaimed, making them jump. "I'm thick! Look at me, I'm old and thick! Head's too full of stuff, I need a bigger head!"

"I don't know." Lily said. "Looks plenty big to me."

"Look, I get it, you're mad at me." He told her. "Why? I'm not sure, but you are. But will you just put that aside for a moment and listen to me?"

"What?" she asked.

"Why is the corridor dark?" he asked.

They all looked and saw that only one lamp was on, and it was blinking.

"Power must be going." Donna said.

"This place runs on fission cells." The Doctor told her. "They'll out-burn the sun."

"Then why is it dark?" Donna asked.

"It's not dark." Lily said.

She wasn't looking at the corridor. Instead, she was looking where the shadow was. Or, had been.

"That shadow." Donna said slowly. "It's gone."

"We need to get back to the TARDIS." The Doctor told them.

"Why?" Donna asked.

"Because that shadow isn't gone." Lily told her. "It moved."

"Reminder:" the Node called. "The Library has been breached, others are coming. Reminder: The Library had been breached, others are coming. Reminder: The Library has been breached…"

A door burst open and six people in spacesuits entered the room. One of them walked right up to the Doctor and switched her visor so it was transparent. Inside was a woman smiling at the Doctor.

"Hello sweetie." She said.

* * *

"Get out!" the Doctor told her.

"Doctor." Donna rebuked.

"No, they should listen to him." Lily said.

"Well that makes a change for today." The Doctor said.

"Oh, shut up." She shot back.

"All of you, turn around, get back in your rocket, and fly away!" he told them, refocusing on the other group. "Tell your grandchildren you came to the Library and lived. They won't believe you."

"Pop your helmets, everyone." The woman ordered. "We've got breathers."

Everyone took off their helmets.

"How do you know they're not androids?" another woman asked.

"Cause I've dated androids." The first woman replied. "They're rubbish."

"Who is this?" one of the men demanded. "You said we were the only expedition, I paid for exclusives."

"I lied." The woman replied. "I'm always lying. Bound to be others."

"Miss Evangelista, I want to see the contracts." He called.

"You came through the north door, yeah?" the woman, who seemed to be the leader, asked. "How was that, much damage?"

"Please, just leave." The Doctor told her. "I'm asking you seriously and properly, just lea…Hang on. Did you say expedition?"

"My expedition, I funded it." The other man told him.

"Oh, you should not have told him that." Lily said, smiling.

"Oh, you're not, are you?" the Doctor asked, ignoring her. "Tell me you're not archaeologists."

"Please say yes." Lily whispered. "Please say yes."

"Got a problem with archaeologists?" the woman asked.

"I'm a time traveler." The Doctor told her. "I point and laugh at archaeologists."

"Ah." The woman replied. "Professor River Song, archaeologist."

"Yes!" Lily said, punching the air.

"River Song, lovely name." the Doctor told her. "As you're leaving, and you're leaving now…you need to set up a quarantine beacon. Code-wall the planet, the whole planet. Nobody comes here, not ever again…not one living thing, not here, not ever."

"Hey bozo!" Lily suddenly shouted, causing everyone to stop. She pointed to the other woman, who was currently walking towards a shadow. "You might want to stop."

"What's your name?" the Doctor asked, glaring at Lily.

"Anita." The woman replied.

"Anita, stay out of the shadows." The Doctor told her. "Not a foot, not a finger in the shadows till you're safely back in your ship. Goes for all of you. Stay in the light. Find a nice, bright spot and just stand. If you understand me, look very, very scared."

They all just looked at him with blank looks, except for Lily, who glared at him, and River, who smiled at him.

"No, bit more scared than that." The Doctor told them.

Miss Evangelista looked slightly more scared.

"Okay, do for now." He said. "You, who are you?"

"Uh, Dave." The man answered.

"Okay, Dave…" the Doctor said.

"Oh, well, Other Dave." The man interrupted. "That's Proper Dave, the pilot. He was the first Dave, so when we…"

The Doctor grabbed the man's arm and pulled him to the door they had come through.

"Other Dave, the way you came, does it look the same as before?" he asked him.

"Yeah." Other Dave replied. "Oh, it's a bit darker."

"How much darker?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, like I could see where we came through just like a moment ago." He replied. "I can't now."

"Seal up this door." The Doctor ordered. "We'll find another way out."

The Doctor walked back to the rest of the group.

"We're not looking for a way out." The business man told him. "Miss Evangelista?"

She stepped up to the Doctor, Lily, and Donna with papers in her hand.

"I'm Mr. Lux's personal…everything." She told them. "You need to sign these contracts that your individual experience inside the Library are the intellectual property of the Felman Lux Corporation."

"Right, give it here." The Doctor said as he and Lily held out their hands.

"Yeah, lovely." Donna said. "Thanks."

The Doctor and Donna tore theirs to pieces and Lily held hers up before it disappeared in a flash of gold, leaving only a fine dust falling to the ground. She shook her hand off and the Doctor saw that it was shaking, but didn't say anything.

"My family built this Library." Lux told them. "I have rights."

"You have a mouth that won't stop." River told him.

She turned back to the Doctor.

"You think there's danger here?" she asked him.

"Something came to this Library and killed everything in it, killed a whole world." He replied sarcastically. "Danger? Could be."

"That was 100 years ago." River told him. "The Library's been silent for 100 years. Whatever came here is long dead."

"Bet your life?" he asked her.

"Always." She replied, smiling.

"What are you doing?" Lux demanded.

"He said seal the door." Other Dave replied.

"Torch!" the Doctor ordered, snatching Lux's out of his hand.

"You're taking orders from him?" Lux demanded.

"Spooky, isn't it?" Lily asked. "How everyone just follows him?"

The Doctor walked around the room, using to the flashlight to light the dark corners.

"Almost every species in the universe has an irrational fear of the dark." The Doctor said.

"Not irrational if there really is something out to get you." Lily pointed out.

"Very true." He replied. "Cause it's not irrational. It's Vashta Nerada."

"What's a Vashta Nerada?" Donna asked.

"It's what's in the dark." The Doctor told her. "It's what's always in the dark."

He walked back to the group.

"Lights!" he announced. "That's what we need, lights. You got lights?"

"What for?" River asked.

"Form a circle, safe area, big as you can, lights pointing out." The Doctor ordered.

"Oi!" River called. "Do as he says."

"You're not listening to this man?" Lux demanded.

"Apparently, I am." She replied. "Anita, unpack the lights. Other Dave, make sure the door's secure, then help Anita. Mr. Lux, put your helmet back on, block the visor. Proper Dave, find an active terminal. I want you to access the Library database, see what you can find about what happened here a hundred years ago. Pretty Boy, you're with me. Step into my office."

She walked over to a desk with an information terminal.

"Professor Song, why am I the only one wearing my helmet?" Lux asked.

"I don't fancy you." She replied.

The Doctor walked over to Proper Dave.

"Probably I can help you." He told him.

"Pretty Boy, with me I said." River called.

"Oh, I'm Pretty Boy?" the Doctor asked, confused.

"Yes." Donna replied. "Ooh, that came out a bit quick!"

Lily snorted.

"Pretty?" the Doctor asked.

"Meh." Donna replied.

Lily pushed herself off the table she was leaning on and walked past him towards River.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Do you really think I'm going to let you wander off with someone I don't trust?" she asked him.

"Today?" he shot back. "I honestly have no idea."

She stopped and turned back to him.

"I'm pissed, not stupid." She told him.

She turned back and started walking again.

The Doctor turned to Donna.

"Do you know what's going on?" he asked.

"Not quite yet." She told him.

"Thanks for the help." He said sarcastically.

"Sure thing." She replied.

The Doctor walked over to River and Lily.

"Don't let your shadows cross!" he called to the rest. "Seriously, don't even let them touch. Any of them could be infected."

"How can a shadow be infected?" Other Dave asked.

Looking around, the only one with nothing to do was Miss Evangelista.

"Excuse me, can I help?" she asked.

"No, we're fine." Anita replied.

"I could just…you know, hold things." She said.

"No, really we're okay." Other Dave replied.

"Couldn't she help?" Donna asked.

"Trust me." Other Dave told her. "I just spent four days on a ship with that woman. She's…"

"Couldn't tell the difference between the escape pod and the bathroom." Anita told her. "We had to go back for her. Twice."

* * *

River was taking out things from her pack, including a book that looked vaguely TARDIS like.

"Thanks." She said as the Doctor approached.

"For what?" he asked.

"The usual." River replied. "For coming when I call."

"Oh, so she's the one who's got you at her beck and call." Lily muttered. "Figures."

"You're doing a very good job, acting like you don't know me." River continued. "I'm assuming there's a reason."

"A fairly good one, actually." The Doctor replied.

"Ok, shall we do diaries, then?" she said. "Where are we this time? Uh, going by your face, I'd say it's early days for you. Yes? So, umm…." She flipped through the book. "Crash of the Byzantium, have we done that yet?"

The Doctor and Lily stared at her.

"Obviously ringing no bells." She said, turning some more pages. "Right, um, oh. Picnic at Asgard. Have we done Asgard yet?"

They continued staring at her.

"Obviously not." She said. "Blimey, very early days, then. Huh, life with a time traveler, never knew it could be such hard work."

She examined the Doctor's face and seemed surprised. She reached out to touch him, but Lily grabbed her arm.

"Lily!" the Doctor rebuked. "Let her go!"

"Lily?" River breathed.

"Yeah." She replied, confused, as she let go of the other woman.

"You're both so young!" she marveled.

"We're really not." The Doctor replied. "Well, Lily is. Relatively."

"But you are." She said. "Your eyes. You're younger than I've ever seen you."

"You seen him before?" Lily questioned.

"Doctor…" River pleaded. "Please tell me you know who I am?"

"Who are you?" the Doctor asked.

They were interrupted by a noise.

"Sorry, that was me." Proper Dave called. "Trying to get through the security protocols, I seem to have set something off. What is that? Is that an alarm?"

"Doctor?" Donna called. "Doctor, that sounds like…"

"It can't be." Lily said.

"It is." The Doctor replied. "It's a phone!"

A/N: Second Chapter. As much as I would like to see Lily wipe the floor with River, I have decided that since Moffat keeps pulling her back, I can't make her and Lily out right enemies. Keep in mind, this does not mean that they will be friends. The idea of that makes parts of my soul die. Also, I thought the idea of a 'Death of River Song' story might be more fun if a whole group of people got together and wrote chapters, everyone ending in a different death. Let me know if anyone would be interested in that.

Abbey


	38. Silence in the Library: Known Ghosts

Disclaimer: I'm starting to run of good ideas for this part.

Ch. 38:

In the girl's home, and old fashioned phone began to ring, but only she seemed to notice.

"Dad!" she called.

"In a minute." He replied.

* * *

"I'm trying to call up the data core," Proper Dave told them as they walked over, "but it's not responding. Just that noise."

"But it's a phone!" Donna said.

"Let me try something." The Doctor said.

* * *

"Dad!" the girl called. "The phone, aren't you gonna answer it?"

"It's not ringing, sweetie." He told her.

She walked up to it, confused, but as she reached for it, it stopped ringing.

* * *

The screen now showed the Library logo with 'ACCESS DENIED' over it.

"Well, it didn't like that." Lily said.

"No, it didn't." the Doctor agreed. "Let's try something else."

* * *

The girl was drawing pictures of the Library while the TV played cartoons behind her.

"Okay, here it comes." Came the Doctor's voice.

He appeared on the screen.

"Hello?" he called.

"Hello." The girl replied, turning around to the TV. "Are you in my television?"

"Well, no, I'm, I'm…sort of in space." He told her. "I, I was trying to call up the data core of a triple-grid security processer."

"And managed to call up a TV." Lily pointed out in the background.

"Would you like to speak to my dad?" the girl asked.

"Dad or your mum, that'd be lovely." The Doctor told her.

"I know you!" the girl said suddenly. "You were in my Library."

"_Your_ Library?" the Doctor repeated.

"The Library's never been on the television before." She told him. "What have you done?"

"Ah, I…I just rerouted the interface…"

The connection broke and the cartoon came back on the screen.

* * *

"What happened?" River asked. "Who was that?"

'ACCESS DENIED' appeared on the screen again.

* * *

The girl pressed the buttons on her remote, trying to find the Doctor again.

* * *

The Doctor continued to push buttons on the terminal, but nothing happened, so he ran across the room to the terminal where River's things were.

"I need another terminal." He told them. "Keep working on those lights, we need those lights!"

"You heard him, people." River said. "Let there be light."

While he was working on the terminal, the Doctor spotted River's diary on the desk. After a moment's internal debate, he reached for it, only for it to be grabbed away by River.

"Sorry." She told him. "You're not allowed to see inside the book, it's against the rules."

"What rules?" he asked.

"Your rules." She replied.

* * *

The girl lifted a cover on the remote to reveal more buttons. So, being a child, she pressed them.

* * *

Suddenly, books began to fly off the selves.

"What's that?" the Doctor asked. "I didn't do that. Lily?"

"Yes, because I find being pelted by books fun." She told him.

The Doctor turned back to the terminal. It said 'ACCESS DENIED' still, but now it said CAL on top.

"What's CAL?" the Doctor asked.

* * *

When the books finally stopped flying, Donna walked over to Miss Evangelista, who seemed very distressed by everything that was happening around her.

"You're all right?" she asked the woman.

"What's that?" she asked. "What's happening?"

"I don't know." Lux answered.

"Oh, thanks for… you know…offering to help with the lights." Donna told her, trying to calm her.

"They don't want me." Miss Evangelista told her. "They think I'm stupid, 'cause I'm pretty."

"Course they don't." Donna told her. "Nobody thinks that."

"No, they're right though." She replied. "I'm a moron, me. My dad said I have the IQ of plankton, and I was pleased."

"See, that's funny." Donna told her, laughing.

"No…no, I, I really was pleased." Miss Evangelista said. "Is that funny?"

"No, no." Donna replied.

Books started to fly again.

"What's causing that?" River asked. "Is it the little girl?"

"But who is the little girl?" The Doctor asked. "What's she got to do with this place?"

A group of books fell and came crashing towards Lily's head. At the last moment, she waved her hand and they went flying into a wall.

"Find out quickly." She told the Doctor, rubbing her arm. "I want to put her in time out."

* * *

The girl was still fiddling with the remote.

* * *

"How does the data core work?" the Doctor asked. "What's the principle? What's CAL?"

"Ask Mr. Lux." River told him.

"CAL, what is it?" he asked again, turning to Mr. Lux.

"Sorry." Lux replied. "You didn't sign your personal experience contracts."

"Mr. Lux, right now, you're in more danger than you've ever been in your whole life." The Doctor told him. "And you're protecting a patent?"

"I'm protecting my family's pride." He replied.

"Well, funny thing, Mr. Lux, I don't want to see everyone in this room because some idiot thinks his pride is more important." The Doctor told him.

"Then why don't you sign his contract?" River asked, pausing. "I didn't either. I'm getting worse than you."

"Okay, okay, okay." The Doctor said. "Let's start at the beginning. What happened here? On the actual day, a hundred years ago, what physically happened?"

* * *

The girl pushed another button.

* * *

In the Library, a wall opened and no one noticed but Miss Evangelista.

"There was a message from the Library." River told the Doctor. "Just one. 'The lights are going out'. Then the computer sealed the planet, and there was nothing for a hundred years."

"It's taken three generations of my family just to decode the seals and get back in." Lux told him.

"Um…excuse me…"Miss Evangelista called.

"Not just now." Lux replied.

"There was one other thing in the last message…" River said.

"That's confidential." Lux told her.

"I trust this man." River told him. "With my life, with everything."

"You've only just met him!" Lux protested.

"No, he's only just met me." River replied.

"Um…this might be important actually…" Miss Evangelista tried again.

"In a moment!" Lux replied.

"This is a data extract that came with the message." River said, handing the Doctor a handheld.

"4022 saved." The Doctor read. "No survivors."

"Well what the hell does that mean?" Lily asked.

"4022, that's the exact number of people who were in the Library when the planet was sealed." River told her.

"But how can 4022 people have been saved if there were no survivors?" Donna asked.

"That's what we're here to find out." River replied.

"And so far, what we haven't found are any bodies." Lux added.

Suddenly, they heard a scream and they took off running through the opening in the wall. They arrived in a lecture room, but they only found a skeleton.

"Everybody, careful!" the Doctor called. "Stay in the light."

"You keep saying that." Proper Dave said. "I don't see the point!"

"Who screamed?" Lily asked.

"Miss Evangelista." Proper Dave replied.

"Where is she?" the Doctor asked.

"Miss Evangelista," River called into her communicator, "please state your current…"

They all turned when they heard River's voice coming from the direction of the skeleton.

"Please state your current…"

She trailed off, realizing the horrifying truth.

"…position." She whispered.

She walked over to the skeleton and moved the remains of a collar to reveal the green lights of Miss Evangelista's communicator.

"It's her." River confirmed. "It's Miss Evangelista."

"We heard her scream a few seconds ago." Anita said. "What could do that to a person in a few seconds?"

"It took a lot less than a few seconds." The Doctor told her.

"What did?" Anita asked.

"Hello?" Miss Evangelista's voice called from the communicator.

"Um, I'm sorry everyone, um, this isn't going to be pleasant." River said. "She's ghosting."

"She's what?" Donna asked.

Lily's breathing had become fast and shallow. She turned away and tightly gripped a nearby table.

"Lily?" the Doctor said, moving towards her.

"Don't." she said. "Just don't."

He stopped and clenched his hands into fists, but did as she asked. Finally, he turned away and back to the group.

"Hello, excuse me?" the voice called again. "I-I'm sorry, hello? Excuse me?"

"That's…that's her." Donna said. "That's Miss Evangelista!"

"I don't want to sound horrible, but couldn't we just…you know?" Other Dave asked.

"This is her last moment…no we can't." River told him. "A little respect, thank you."

"Sorry, where am I?" the voice asked. "Excuse me?"

"But that's Miss Evangelista." Donna repeated.

"It's a data ghost; she'll be gone in a moment." River told her, reaching up to her communicator. "Miss Evangelista, you're fine. Just relax. We'll be with you presently."

"What's a data ghost?" Donna asked.

"There's a neural relay in the communicator, lets you send thought mails." The Doctor explained. "That's it there, those green lights. Sometimes it can hold an impression of a living consciousness for a short time after death. Like an after image."

"My grandfather lasted a day." Anita said. "Kept talking about his shoelaces."

"She's in there!" Donna protested.

"I can't see, I can't…" the voice said. "Where am I?"

The Doctor heard Lily tired to stifle a sob.

"She's just brain waves now." Proper Dave said. "The pattern won't hold for long."

"She's conscious!" Donna said. "She's thinking."

"I can't see, I can't…" the voice continued. "I don't know what I'm thinking."

"She's a footprint on the beach." The Doctor told Donna. "And the tide's coming in."

"Where's that woman?" the voice asked. "The nice woman…is she there?"

"What woman?" Lux asked.

"She means…I think, she means me." Donna said.

"Yeah, she's here, hang on." River told her. "Go ahead. She can hear you."

"Hello?" the voice called. "Are you there?"

Donna shook her head in horror.

"Help her." The Doctor said.

"She's dead." Donna protested.

"Donna." Lily said, not turning around. "Help her."

"Hello?" the voice called. "Is that the nice woman?"

"Yeah." Donna said hesitantly. "Hello. Yeah, I'm, I'm…I'm here. You okay?"

"What I said before, about being stupid." The voice said. "Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh."

"Course I won't." Donna told her. "Course I won't tell them."

"Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh…" she repeated.

"I won't tell them." Donna said. "I said I won't.

"Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh…"

"I'm not going to tell them." Donna repeated.

The green lights were now blinking.

"Don't tell the others, they'll only laugh…"

"She's looping now." River said. "The pattern's degrading."

"I can't think," the voice said. "I…don't know, I…I…I…Ice cream. Ice cream. Ice cream. Ice cream."

She just kept repeating it.

"Does anyone mind if I…?" River asked.

She stepped over to the skeleton and turned off the relay.

There was a crash and they turned to see that Lily had thrown the chair across the room.

"That was…that was horrible." Donna said, in tears. "That was the most horrible thing I've ever seen."

The Doctor laid his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"No." River replied. "It's just a freak of technology. But whatever did this to her, whatever killed her…I'd like a word with that."

"I'll introduce you." The Doctor said.

He led them back to the other room.

"I'm gonna need a packed lunch." The Doctor said.

"Hang on." River told him.

They crouched next to her bag as she searched for the food. She pulled out the TARDIS book.

"What's in that book?" the Doctor asked.

"Spoilers." River replied.

"Who are you?" he asked her.

"Professor River Song, University of…"

"To me." He interrupted. "Who are you to me?"

He didn't notice Lily turn away.

"Again…spoilers." River answered.

She handed a lunch box to him.

"Chicken, and a bit of salad." She told him. "Knock yourself out."

After a long look, he finally stood up.

"Right, you lot." He said. "Let's all meet the Vashta Nerada!"

* * *

"Darling, Dr. Moon is going now." The girl's Dad said. "But he'd like a word with you alone, is that all right?"

"Yes, of course, Dr. Moon." The girl replied.

"Thank you." Dr. Moon said to the Dad before walking over to the girl. "Now listen. This is important. There's the real world, and there's the world of nightmares. That's right, isn't it? You understand that?"

"Yes, I know, Dr. Moon." The girl replied.

"What I want you to remember is this…and I know it's hard." Dr. Moon told her. "The real world is a lie, and your nightmares are real. The Library is real. There are people trapped in there, people who need to be saved. The shadows are moving again. Those people are depending on you. Only you can save them. Only you."

A/N: Third chapter done. I promise, there is a reason Lily is acting the way she is, beyond jealousy. All shall be revealed.

Review!

Abbey


	39. Silence in the Library: Counted Shadows

Disclaimer: I love the Doctor with all my heart. The BBC, not so much.

Ch. 39:

The Doctor was on the floor, examining shadows, while Lily wandered around.

"You travel with him, don't you?" River asked Donna. "The Doctor, you travel with him."

"What of it?" Donna asked.

Going around the room, the Doctor arrived at Proper Dave's feet.

"Proper Dave, could you move over a bit?" he asked.

"Why?" Proper Dave asked.

"Over there by the water cooler." The Doctor told him. "Thanks."

Proper Dave sighed, but did as he said.

"You know him, don't you?" Donna asked.

"Oh, god, do I know that man." River replied. "We go way back, that man and me. Just not this far back."

"I'm sorry, what?" Donna asked.

"He hadn't met me yet." River told her. "I sent him a message, but it went wrong, it arrived too early. This is the Doctor in the days before he knew me. And he looks at me, he looks right through me and it shouldn't kill me, but it does."

"What are you talking about?" Donna asked. "Are you just talking rubbish? Do you know him or don't you?"

"Donna!" The Doctor called. "Quiet! I'm working."

"Sorry!" she called back.

"Donna?" River asked. "You're Donna? Donna Noble?"

"Yeah." Donna replied. "Why?"

"I do know the Doctor." River told her. "But in the future. His personal future."

"So why don't you know me?" Donna demanded. "Where am I in the future?"

Before River could answer, the Doctor shot up and grabbed Lily's arm, pulling her back into the light.

"Are you insane?" he demanded. "Do you want to get eaten?"

"What does it matter?" she shot back, wrenching her arm away.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

Both seemed to have forgotten their audience.

"Don't you wonder why River didn't recognize me?" Lily yelled at him. "Don't you wonder what that means? I'm dying. We don't talk about it. We don't think about the fact that maybe you won't be able to fix this! Every day, I die a little more. Another part of my body breaks down. So what does it matter? Why does it matter if I die here, or tomorrow, or next week, or when my body finally stops working? Besides," she glanced at River, "it seems like you don't have any problem replacing me."

The moment she said that, her hands flew to her mouth as he stared at her.

"Doctor…" she said softly.

"Stay out of the shadows." He ordered, turning his back on her.

She stood there for a minute before walking a little ways away and sitting on the floor, across the room from where he lay, checking shadows. She pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them.

Donna started to move to her, but River stopped her.

"Let me." She said.

Donna snorted.

"No offense, but you don't know Lily." She told the other woman.

River smiled.

"I think I'll be alright." She said before walking off.

River walked over and sat down next to Lily.

"What do you want?" Lily asked, lifting her head and wiping off her cheeks.

"Harsher punishments for parole violators." River replied. "And world peace."

A chuckle burst out of Lily.

"Miss Congeniality?" she asked. "Really?"

"A friend showed it to me." River told her, shrugging. "I have something to tell you."

"I thought you had a rule against 'spoilers'." Lily told her.

"I do, which is why you can't tell the Doctor I told you this." She replied.

"I'm listening." Lily told her.

"I love the Doctor." River told her, making her wince. "But let's face it, everyone who meets him and travels with him falls in love with him to some extent. And in his own way, he loves them. But here's the thing. No matter how much I or anyone else loves him, there is only one person he truly loves."

"Rose?" Lily guessed

"No." River replied. "You. The one person he's always true to, the one person he never lies to, it's you. You're the only person he will always come back to."

Lily stared at her, a tear slipping down her face.

"I can't tell you what's going to happen." River continued. "But I can tell you that I never replace you. No one does. You're the Doctor's mate. That's true for the rest of time."

She smiled and got up, Lily watching her in silence. She hesitated a second before getting and walking over to the Doctor.

"What?" he asked as she crouched next to him. He didn't stop what he was doing.

"Doctor…look, could you stop for a moment?" she asked, laying a hand on his arm.

He stopped, but didn't look at her.

"I was out of line." She told him. "I shouldn't have said those things. And I shouldn't have acted like such a bitch."

She sighed.

"I'm scared, Doctor." She told him. "No, that's not true. I'm terrified. Every day I feel more of me slip away and I feel like one day I'm going to wake up and there isn't going to be any 'me' left. I shouldn't have taken it out on you, though. So I'm sorry."

"So why did you?" he asked, finally looking at her.

"You're my mate." She told him. "You were an easy target. And then you got that message and went running off without even stopping to talk to me about it."

"I couldn't ignore it." He told her.

"I know that." She shot back. She took a breath and a moment to calm down. "And I wouldn't have asked you to. I just want you to talk to me. I'm not your companion. You can't treat me like one."

He sighed.

"There are other reasons why River didn't recognize you." He told her. "You could've regenerated by the time River met you."

"Maybe." Lily replied. "But we need to prepare for the idea that the reason she didn't recognize me is because I'm not around for her to know."

"I refuse to believe that." The Doctor told her.

She smiled and leaned forward and kissed him.

"I love you." She told him. "And I really am sorry."

"I love you too." He told her. "And I should really get back to work."

She chuckled and nodded. She got up and walked back to Donna.

"Better?" she asked.

"Getting there." Lily replied, linking her arm with her friend's.

"Okay, we've got a live one!" the Doctor called.

Lily and Donna made their way back to the Doctor.

"That's not darkness down those tunnels, this is not shadow." The Doctor told the group. "It's a swarm. A man-eating swarm."

He threw a chicken leg into the shadows, but by the time it hit the ground, it was just a bone.

"The piranhas of the air, the Vashta Nerada." He continued. "Literally 'the shadows that melt the flesh'. Most planets have them, but usually in small clusters. I've never seen an infestation on this scale, or this aggressive."

"What d'you mean, most planets?" Donna asked. "Not Earth?"

"Mmmm, Earth, and a billion other worlds." The Doctor told her. "Where there's meat, there's Vashta Nerada. You can see them sometimes, if you look. The dust in sunbeams."

"If they were on Earth, we'd know." Donna replied.

"Please." Lily said. "A blowfish once drove around in Cardiff in a convertible and no one ever noticed. Humans don't see what they don't want to see."

"Besides, they normally live on road kill." The Doctor added. "But sometimes people go missing. Not everyone comes back out of the dark."

"Every shadow?" River asked.

"No." the Doctor asked. "But any shadow."

"So what do we do?" River asked.

"Daleks-aim for the eyestalk." He told her. "Sontarans-"

"Back of the neck!" Lily and Donna called.

"Right." He said. "Vashta Nerada…run. Just run."

"Run?" River asked. "Run where?"

"This is an index point." The Doctor said. "There must be an exit teleport somewhere."

"Don't look at me, I haven't memorized the schematics!" Lux told them.

"Doctor, the little shop!" Donna said. "They always make you go through the little shop on the way out so they can sell you stuff."

"You're right!" the Doctor exclaimed "Brilliant! That's why I like the little shop!"

"Ok, let's move it!" Proper Dave said.

He moved off, but Lily spotted something.

_Doctor…_ she said.

She nodded to Proper Dave's shadow.

_I see it._ He told her.

"Actually, Proper Dave, could you stay where you are for a moment?" he asked the man.

"Why?" he replied.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor said. "I am so, so sorry. But you've got two shadows."

Everybody looked at Proper Dave in mixed horror and pity.

"It's how they hunt." The Doctor told them. "They latch on to a food source and keep it fresh."

"What do I do?" Proper Dave asked.

"You stay absolutely still." The Doctor told him. "Like there's a wasp in the room. Like there's a million wasps."

"We're not leaving you, Dave." River told him.

"'Course we're not leaving." The Doctor said. "Where's your helmet? Don't point, just tell me."

"On the floor, by my bag." He told him.

Anita went and got the helmet.

"Don't cross his shadow!" Lily told her.

The Doctor took the helmet.

"Thanks." He said. "Now, the rest of you, helmets back on and sealed up. We'll need everything we've got."

He helped put the helmet on Proper Dave.

"But, Doctor, we haven't got any helmets." Donna pointed out.

"Yeah, but we're safe anyway." He told her.

"How are we safe?" Donna asked.

"We're not." He told her. "That was a clever lie to shut you up."

"I can protect us if it comes down to it." Lily told her quietly. "But it's a one shot deal."

"Professor, anything I can do with the suit?" the Doctor asked.

"What good are the damn suits?" Lux demanded. "Miss Evangelista was wearing her suit, there was nothing left."

"We can increase the mesh-density, dial it up 400%." She told the Doctor, ignoring Lux. "Make it a tougher meal."

"Okay." He replied, sonicing Proper Dave's suit. "800%! Pass it on."

He went to hand the screwdriver to River, but she held up her own.

"Gotcha!" she said.

"What's that?" the Doctor asked.

"It's a screwdriver." She replied.

"It's sonic." He said.

"Yeah, I know." She said. "Snap!"

"Wait, hold on a minute." Lily said. "How come she gets a screwdriver and I still have to borrow yours?"

"How should I know?" he asked, watching River suspiciously as she moved around from person to person.

"With me, come on!" he said finally, grabbing Donna's hand and pulling her along as Lily followed.

He led them to the shop.

"What are we doing, we're shopping?" she asked. "Is it a good time to shop?"

"No talking, just moving!" he told her. "Try it! Right, stand there in the middle. It's a teleport. Stand in the middle. Can't send the others, TARDIS won't recognize them."

"What are you doing?" Donna demanded.

"You don't have a suit, you're not safe!" he told her.

"You and Lily don't have suits, so you're in just as much danger and I am and I'm not leaving…" she ranted.

"Donna!" the Doctor interrupted. "Let me explain."

He pressed a button and she disappeared.

"That's one way of doing." Lily said. "She's going to be totally pissed, you know that right?"

"I don't suppose I could pull the same trick on you." He said.

"Nope." She replied.

"Yeah." He said, taking her hand and squeezing it.

"Doctor!" River called.

They took off running.

* * *

Donna started to appeared in the TARDIS, but before the transfer could finish, she disappeared again with a scream.

* * *

"Where did it go?" Lily asked.

"It's just gone." Proper Dave replied. "I…I looked round, one shadow. See."

"Does that mean we can leave?" River asked. "I don't want to hang around here."

"I don't know why we're still here." Lux said. "We can leave him, can't we? I mean, no offence…"

"Shut up." River and Lily said at the same time.

"Did you feel anything?" the Doctor asked Dave. "Like an energy transfer? Anything at all?"

"No, no, but look, it's, it's gone." Proper Dave said, starting to turn around.

"Stop there." The Doctor ordered. "Stop, stop, stop there, stop moving! They're never just gone. And they never give up."

He knelt down and started to probe the shadow with the sonic screwdriver.

"Well, this one's benign." The Doctor said.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?" Proper Dave suddenly asked.

"No one." Lily told him. "They're still on."

"No, seriously, turn them back on!" Proper Dave told them.

"They are on." River told him.

"I can't see a ruddy thing." He told them.

"Dave, turn around." The Doctor told him.

He turned around slowly and the group saw that his visor was completely blacked out.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Why can't I see? Is the power gone? Are we safe here?"

"Dave, I want you to stay still, absolutely still." The Doctor told him.

Suddenly, Proper Dave stiffened.

"Dave." The Doctor said. "Dave? Dave, can you hear me? Are you all right? Talk to me, Dave."

"I'm fine." He replied. "I'm Ok, I'm…I'm fine."

"I want you to stay still, absolutely still." The Doctor told him.

"Doctor…" Lily said softly.

"I'm fine, I'm OK, I'm…I'm fine."

The lights of Proper Dave's communicator were blinking.

"He's gone." River said. "He's ghosting."

"Then why is he still standing?" Lux asked.

"Hey!" he said suddenly, making them all jump. "Who turned out the lights? Hey! Who turned out the lights?"

Cautiously, the Doctor moved towards him.

"Doctor, don't!" River said.

"Don't you dare!" Lily told him at the same time.

"Dave, can you hear me?" the Doctor asked.

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"

He grabbed the Doctor and started to choke him. The helmet became illuminated and they saw that only a skeleton was left in the suit.

"Who turned out the lights? Hey! Who turned out the lights?"

"Excuse me!" Lily said, getting between the two.

She put her hands on the chest of the suit and power rushed out of her, shoving him a few feet away and making him let go of the Doctor. Her knees buckled and the Doctor quickly caught her.

"I couldn't destroy it." She said weakly. "I don't have enough power."

"Get back!" the Doctor told them, half carrying Lily. "Back from it, get back!"

The group backed away and the thing walked towards them in an awkward manner.

"Doesn't move very fast, does it?" River asked.

"It's a swarm in a suit." The Doctor said, throwing Lily's arm over his shoulder and wrapping his around her waist. "But it's learning."

The swarm sent out several shadows, reaching for them.

"What do we do?" Lux asked. "Where do we go?"

"See that wall behind you?" River asked. "Duck!"

She pulled out a blaster and created a square whole in the wall.

"Squareness gun!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"Are we sure she isn't Jack?" Lily asked.

"Please, Jack wishes he was me." River told her. "Now, everybody out. Go, go, go! Move it, move, move! Move it, move, move!"

They arrived in a shadowy aisle between two book shelves.

"You said not every shadow." River said.

"But any shadow!" the Doctor told her.

"Hey!" the swarm said as it arrived in the aisle. "Who tuned out the lights?"

"Run!" River yelled.

She got under Lily's other arm and they all ran.

* * *

"Sweetie, dinner's ready." The girl's Dad called.

"Donna Noble has been saved." She told him.

"Sweetie?" he asked, confused.

* * *

The Doctor was fiddling with a lamp, using the sonic on it, while River held Lily up nearby and the rest of the group sat on the ground, panting.

"Trying to boost the power." He told them. "Light doesn't stop them, but it slows them down."

"So do we have a plan?" Lily asked. "Or do we plan on running around aimlessly?"

"I thought you were done being snarky for the day." The Doctor told her, still messing with the lamp.

"What can I say, snarky is my default mode." She told him.

River pointed her screwdriver at the lamp and the light became stronger.

"Again, why does she have one and I don't?" Lily groused.

"I don't know, but it looks mine." He replied.

"Yeah." River said. "You gave it to me."

"I don't give my screwdriver to anyone." He told her.

"I'm not anyone." She replied.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"What's the plan?" she deflected.

"I teleported Donna back to the TARDIS." He told her, moving on.

Lily closed her eyes, but after a moment, her face became scrunched.

"If we don't get back there in under five hours," he continued, "emergency program one will activate."

"Take her home, yeah." River said. She turned to the rest. "We need to get a shift on."

"Doctor…" Lily said, opening her eyes.

"I know." He said, checking his screwdriver, looking concerned.

"What?" River asked.

"She's not there." Lily said. "The TARDIS says she's not there."

"She never was." The Doctor added. "The console signals me if there's a teleport breach, and I didn't receive a signal."

"Well, maybe the coordinates have slipped." River suggested. "The equipment here's ancient."

The Doctor ran to a nearby Node.

"Donna Noble." He said. "There's a Donna Noble somewhere in this Library. Do you have the software to locate her position?"

The Node turned its face and revealed Donna's.

"No!" Lily said, horrified.

"Donna Noble has left the Library." The Node told them. "Donna Noble has been saved."

"Donna!" the Doctor whispered.

"Donna Noble has left the Library." The Node repeated. "Donna Noble has been saved."

"How can it be Donna?" River asked. "How's that possible?"

"Oh, Donna!" the Doctor said softly.

"No." Lily said, tears pouring down her cheeks. "Not again."

"Donna Noble has left the Library."

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"

The Doctor and Lily just stared at the Node.

"Doctor!" River called.

"Donna Noble had been saved."

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"

"Donna Noble has left the Library."

"Doctor, we've got to go now!" River shouted.

She grabbed his and Lily's hand and dragged them after the rest of the group.

"Donna Noble has been saved."

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"

"Donna Noble has left the Library. Donna Noble has been saved."

They turned down an aisle.

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"

"Donna Nobel has left the Library. Donna Noble has been saved."

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"

They were trapped.

"Doctor, what are we gonna do?" River demanded.

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"

"Donna Noble has left the Library. Donna Noble has been saved."

A/N: Silence in the Library is done. So what did you guys think?

Abbey


	40. Forest of the Dead: Living Dreams

Disclaimer: The BBC is saying the Doctor is a fictional character. Why would they perpetrate such lies?

Ch. 40:

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"

River quickly used the blaster to make a hole .

"This way, quickly, move!" she yelled, herding them out.

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"

* * *

In her living room, the girl watched the events on her TV.

"Dad, the Library, it's on the television now." She called.

"How many times, darling?" her Dad replied. "The Library is just your imagination."

She flipped channels, all showing different parts of the Library, till landing on one that showed an ambulance pulling up to a hospital. The crew rolled out the stretcher and the girl saw Donna on it.

"Donna?" she called.

* * *

Donna sat on a bed in a hospital room and Dr. Moon entered.

"Hello Donna." He said.

"Who are you?" Donna asked, confused.

"I'm Dr. Moon." He told her. "I've been treating you since you came here, two years ago."

She suddenly recognized him.

"Oh, God, Dr. Moon, I'm so sorry!" she said. "What's wrong with me? I didn't know you for a moment."

"And then you remembered." He said. "Shall we go for a walk?"

_cut_

"No more dreams, then?" he asked as they walked through the garden. "The Doctor and Lily, and the blue box, time and space."

"How did we get here?" Donna asked, confused.

"We came down the stairs," Dr. Moon told her, "out the front door. We passed Mrs. Ali on the way out."

They walked past a sign that said CAL.

"Yeah." Donna said, suddenly remembering. "Yeah, we did. I forgot that."

"And then you remembered." He replied. "Shall we go down to the river?"

_cut_

They stood throwing bread to the ducks.

"You said 'river' and suddenly we're feeding ducks." Donna said.

A man walked up to them.

"Dr. Moon." He called. "Morning."

"Donna Noble, Lee McAvoy." Dr. Moon introduced them.

"Hello, Lee." Donna said, smiling.

"Hi, D-D-D-" Lee said, trying to get the word out.

"Oh, you've got bit of a stammer there…" Donna said, her smiling growing. "Bless!"

"D-D-" Lee tried again.

"Oh, skip to a vowel, they're easy!" Donna told him.

They both laughed.

_cut_

Donna and Dr. Moon walked through the hospital garden.

"How did we leave it, him and me?" she asked him.

"I got the impression he was inviting you fishing tomorrow." He told her.

_cut_

Donna stepped into Lee's room, dressed to the nines.

"So…Fishing!"

_cut_

They sat under a huge umbrella by the river. Donna looked totally out of place in her fancy clothes.

"D-D-" Lee tried.

"Gorgeous and can't speak a word." Donna marveled. "What am I gonna do with you?"

_cut_

Lee carried Donna, in her wedding dress, over the threshold, while bells rang in the background.

"Welcome home, M-Mrs. McAvoy." He told her.

He gently kissed her.

_cut_

Dr. Moon sat looking at a photo album while Donna's children, Joshua and Ella, ran around the room.

"Stop it!" Donna yelled. "Stop it now, we've got a visitor."

"You've done so much in seven years, Donna." Dr. Moon said.

"Ah, sometimes it feels more like 70." Donna told him, but then she was confused. "Mind you, sometimes it feels like no time at all."

Dr. Moon rose to leave.

"Can I just say what a pleasure it is to see you fully integrated?" he told her.

Suddenly, he became fuzzy before disappearing and being replaced by the Doctor.

"No, the signal's definitely coming from the moon." He was saying. "I'm blocking it, by it's trying to break through."

He turned around and saw Donna.

"Donna!" he called.

He disappeared, and Dr. Moon was back.

"Oops, sorry." He said. "Mrs. Angelo's rhubarb surprise. Will I never learn?"

Donna backed away from him.

"The Doctor!" she said. "I saw the Doctor!"

"Yes, you did, Donna." Dr. Moon told her. "And then, you forgot."

Suddenly, Donna looked at him as if she had just realized he was there.

"Dr. Moon!" she said. "Oh, hello! Shall I make you a cup of tea?"

* * *

River used the blaster to open a way to another room.

"Okay, we've got a clear spot." She told them. "In, in, in! Right in the center, in the middle of the light, quickly! Don't let your shadows cross. Doctor…"

"I'm doing it." He said, helping Lily sit on the ground.

He started to check the shadows as River kneeled in front of Lily.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'll be fine." Lily told her, looking around. "There's no lights here and sunset's coming. We can't stay here long."

She turned to the Doctor.

"Have you found a live one?" she asked.

"Maybe." He replied. "It's getting harder to tell."

He hit the screwdriver.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked it.

"We're gonna need a chicken leg." River said. "Who's got a chicken leg? Thanks, Dave."

She took the leg from him and threw it into the shadow and it was stripped within a second.

"Okay." She said. "Okay, we've got a hot one. Watch your feet."

"Up you go." The Doctor said, reaching down to Lily. "They won't attack until there's enough of them, but they've got our scent now."

"They're coming." Lily finished.

They walked off as the Doctor messed with the sonic screwdriver.

"Who is he?" Dave demanded. "You haven't even told us. You just expect us to trust him."

"He's the Doctor." River answered.

"And who is the Doctor?" Lux asked.

"The only story you'll ever tell-if you survive him." She told him.

"You say he's your friend, but he doesn't even know who you are." Anita said.

"Listen, all you need to know is this…I'd trust that man to the end of the universe." River told them. "And actually, we've been."

"He doesn't act like he trusts you." Anita said.

"Yeah, there's a tiny problem." River replied. "He hasn't met me yet."

She left them and walked over to the Doctor and Lily.

"What's wrong with it?" she asked.

"There's a signal coming from somewhere, interfering with it." He told her.

"Then use the red settings." She told him.

"It doesn't have a red setting." He told her.

"Well, use the dampers." She suggested.

"It doesn't have dampers." He said, sounding put out.

"It will do one day." She told him, holding up the other one.

"So, sometime in the future, I just give you my screwdriver." The Doctor said.

"Yeah." She replied, smiling.

"Why would I do that?" he asked.

"I didn't pluck it from your cold dead hands, if that's what you're worried about." She told him.

"And I know that because…?" he asked.

"Listen to me." She said. "You've lost your friend, you're angry, I understand. But you need to be less emotional, Doctor. Right now."

"Less em-I'm not emotional!" he shouted.

"There are six people in this room still alive, focus on that." She told him. "Dear God, you're hard work young!"

"Young?" he demanded. "Who are you?"

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Lux exclaimed. "Look at the two of you! We're all gonna die right here, and you're squabbling away like an old married couple!"

"Doctor…" River said. "One day, I'm going to be someone that you trust completely, but I can't wait for you to find that out. So I'm going to prove it to you. And I'm sorry. I'm really very sorry."

She leaned up and whispered something in his ear. A second later, everyone froze as Lily grabbed her by the throat and pushed her towards the shadows.

"Lily!" the Doctor yelled.

She turned and looked at him and her eyes flashed gold, before turning back to River.

"No one but me knows that." She said in a low deadly voice. "You have three seconds to come up with a really good reason why I shouldn't kill you."

River struggled against Lily's hand, but it didn't budge.

"The Doctor trusts me." River told her. "Can you imagine a scenario where the Doctor trusts someone you don't?"

"Yes." Lily replied, not giving an inch. "One where I'm dead."

She pushed her a little further back.

"You want to know why you should trust me?" River finally yelled.

She reached forward and grabbed Lily, pulling her forward. She whispered something in the other woman's ear and Lily let her go, stumbling back.

"That's not possible." She whispered, putting as much distance between herself and River.

"Are we good?" River asked, gasping and rubbing her neck. "Doctor, Lily, are we good?"

The couple exchanged a look.

"Yeah." The Doctor said finally. "We're good."

"Good." River replied.

She rubbed her neck and walked back to the rest of the group.

The Doctor leaned down and kissed Lily's forehead swiftly before returning to the matter at hand as if the altercation had never occurred.

"Know what's interesting about my screwdriver?" the Doctor asked. "Very hard to interfere with, practically nothing's strong enough…Well, some hairdryers."

"That's totally Donna's fault, not mine." Lily butted in. She kept close to his side, never more than a few inches away, and her eyes hardly left River.

"But I'm working on that." The Doctor continued. "So there is a very strong signal coming from somewhere, and it wasn't there before, so what's new, what's changed?"

The others just looked at each other.

"Come on!" he said. "What's new? What's different?"

"I dunno, nothing." Dave answered. "It's getting dark."

"It's a screwdriver." The Doctor told him. "It works in the dark."

"Yeah, but what comes with the dark?" Lily asked.

He looked at her, to see her looking up at the sky.

"Moon rise." He murmured, following her gaze. "Tell me about the moon. What's there?"

"It's not real." Lux told him. "It was built as part of the Library. It's just a doctor moon."

"What's a doctor moon?" Lily asked.

"A virus checker." Lux replied. "It supports and maintains the main computer at the core of the planet."

The Doctor turned on the sonic screwdriver.

"Well, still active." He said. "It's signaling, look. Someone somewhere in this Library is alive and communicating with the moon, or, possibly alive and drying their hair."

"It's not me!" Lily called defensively. "Get off my back about the hair dryer thing."

"No," the Doctor continued as if he hadn't heard her. "The signal's definitely coming from the moon. I'm blocking it, but it's trying to break through…"

Suddenly, a fuzzy image of Donna appeared.

"Doctor!" Lily cried happily.

He turned and saw the image.

"Donna!" he called.

The image faded.

"Doctor, that was Donna!" Lily said excitedly. "Bring her back! What was that?"

"Hold on, hold on, hold on." The Doctor told her. "I'm trying to find the wavelength. Ah, I'm being blocked."

"Professor?" Anita said in a scared voice.

"Just a moment." River told her.

"It's important." She replied. "I have two shadows…"

"Okay." River told her. "Helmets on, everyone. Anita, I'll get yours."

_Why isn't it coming after us?_ Lily asked, looking at Anita._ We're the easier targets._

_I don't know._ The Doctor replied.

"It didn't do Proper Dave any good." Anita pointed out.

"Just keep it together, okay?" River told her.

"Keeping it together." Anita replied. "I'm only crying. I'm about to die, it's not an overreaction."

River put the helmet on Anita.

"Hang on." The Doctor said.

He pointed the sonic screwdriver at the visor and it went dark.

"Oh, God, they've got inside." River said.

"No, no, no, I just tinted her visor." The Doctor replied. "Maybe they'll think they're already in there, leave her alone."

"D'you think they can be fooled like that?" she asked.

"Maybe." The Doctor answered. "I don't know. It's a swarm, it's not like we chat."

"We haven't tried, though." Lily said thoughtfully.

"Tried what?" the Doctor asked.

"Talking to it." Lily replied.

He stared at her.

"See this is why I like it better when you're working with me, not fighting with me." He told her, kissing her forehead.

"Can you still see in there?" Dave asked Anita.

"Just about." She replied.

_When they take her, we're not going to be able to tell._ Lily pointed out.

_I know._ He said.

"Just, just, just…stay back." He told Dave. "Professor, a quick word, please."

"What?" she asked.

"Down here." He said, pulling her down as Lily crouched next to him.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Like you said, there are six people still alive in this room." He said.

"Yeah, so?"

Lily looked around and groaned quietly.

"So…why are there seven?" she asked.

As the other five turned to look where Lily and the Doctor were looking, they saw another figure in a space suit standing in the background.

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"

"Run!" the Doctor shouted.

They ran and the swarm chased them.

A/N: First chapter of Forest of the Dead. SO…River not only knows the Doctor's name, she knows Lily's. Duh duh dun. What can that possibly mean? Tell me your guesses and thoughts in review form!

Abbey


	41. Forest of the Dead: Reason and Shadows

Disclaimer: The BBC sucks. They won't let me see the Doctor. I KNOW YOUR HIDING HIM YOU BASTARDS!

Ch. 41:

The girl was scared by the swarm, so she flipped the channel again and landed on Donna's house.

* * *

Donna walked in with two cups of tea.

"Here we are, Dr. Moon." She said.

Her daughter ran up to her, showing her a clay figure.

"Mummy, I made you!" she told Donna.

"Oh, that's nice, Ella." She said, looking at the doll. "Where's the face?"

"I don't know." Ella replied.

Donna put the cups on the table and looked around at the empty room, confused.

"Did you see Dr. Moon?" she asked. "Did he leave?"

Lee entered the room and the children ran to him.

"Daddy!" the shouted.

"Hey!" he called back. "Hello, you two, come here! Big hugs, big Daddy hugs!"

"Look what I made!" Ella told him, showing him the figure.

"Oh, it's Mummy?" Lee asked.

"Erm, it hasn't got a face." Donna pointed out. "Did you see Dr. Moon?"

"No." Lee replied. "Why, was he here?"

"Yeah, just a second ago." Donna told him. "You must have passed him."

She moved to the window, but instead of Dr. Moon, she saw a veiled woman in a black Victorian dress.

"You all right?" Lee asked, moving behind her.

"Yeah." Donna said. "Yeah, I'm fine, it's just…"

"Just?" Lee prompted.

"Nothing." She said, hugging him. "It's been a long day, that's all. I'm just tired."

_cut_

Donna was in her pajamas, in her bedroom with Lee.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I said I was tired, and…" she trailed off, confused, before remembering. "And we put the kids to bed, and we watched television."

They heard a noise from the front door.

"Was that a letter?" Donna asked.

"It's midnight."Lee said.

"Go and see what it is." Donna told him.

Lee left and Donna walked to the window. Outside she saw the same woman in black.

"'The world is wrong'." Lee said as he came back in.

"What?" Donna asked.

She turned and saw Lee holding a letter in his hand.

"For you." He told her. "Weird, though. 'Dear Donna, the world is wrong. Meet me at your usual playpark, two o'clock tomorrow."

Donna took the letter and walked back to the window. Below, the woman was walking away.

* * *

In her living room, the girl was scared.

"Don't go." She begged. "Please don't go."

* * *

Donna arrived at the playground with her children. A little ways away, she spotted the woman in black, her face hidden behind a veil.

"All right, you two, off you go, no fighting." She said, shooing her children off.

The kids ran off and Donna sat down beside the woman.

"I got your note last night." She told her. "'The world is wrong', what's that mean?"

"No, you didn't." the woman told her.

"I'm sorry, what?" Donna asked.

"You didn't get my note last night." The woman said. "You got it a few seconds ago. Having decided to come, you suddenly found yourself arriving. That is how time progresses here, in the manner of a dream. You've suspected that before, haven't you, Donna Noble?"

"How do you know me?" Donna asked her.

"We met before, in the Library." The woman replied. "You were kind to me. I hope now to return that kindness."

"Your voice…" Donna whispered. "I recognize it."

"Yes, you do." The woman told her. "I am what is left of Miss Evangelista."

Flashes of Miss Evangelista, alive and dead, suddenly went through Donna's mind.

* * *

In the Library, the group ran through a corridor connecting to tall buildings. Suddenly, the Doctor stopped.

"Professor, go ahead, find a safe spot." He said.

"It's a carnivorous swarm in a suit, you can't reason with it." She told him.

"You don't know the Doctor as well as you think, obviously." Lily told her smugly. "If he didn't try, he wouldn't be the Doctor."

She reached up and kissed his cheek.

"You die, I bring you back and I kill you, understand?" she told him. "I'll keep them safe."

"Understood." He replied. "I thought I'd have to threaten you to leave.

"Truthfully?" she said. "They scare the crap out of me. I rather let you deal with them. Have fun."

"Oh, thanks." He said sarcastically.

"You're welcome." She replied brightly.

"Other Dave, stay with him, pull him out when he's too stupid to live." River ordered. "Two minutes, Doctor."

The rest left just as the thing that used to be Proper Dave arrived.

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"

The Doctor moved closer to it.

"You hear that?" he asked. "Those words? That is the very last thought of the man who wore that suit before you climbed inside it and stripped his flesh. That's a man's soul trapped inside a neural relay, going round and round forever. Now, if you don't have the decency to let him go, how about this? Use him. Talk to me. It's easy, neural relay. Just point and think. Use him, talk to me."

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"

"The Vashta Nerada live on all the worlds in this system, by you hunt in forests." The Doctor said. "What are you doing in a library?"

"We should go, Doctor!" Other Dave called.

"In a minute." The Doctor replied. "You came to the Library to hunt, why? Just tell me, why?"

"We…did not." The Vashta Nerada said, using Proper Dave's voice.

"Oh, hello." The Doctor said.

"We did not." The Vashta Nerada repeated.

"Take it easy, you'll get the hang of it." The Doctor told it. "Did not what?"

"We…did not…come…here." It told him.

"Well of course you did." The Doctor replied. "Of course you came here."

"We come from here." The Vashta Nerada told him.

"From here?" the Doctor asked.

"We hatched here." It said.

"But you hatch from trees." The Doctor replied. "From spores in trees."

"These are our forests." It told him.

"You're nowhere near a forest, you're in a library." The Doctor told it. "There are no trees in a…"

He trailed off in realization.

"…library." He finished.

"We should go, Doctor!" Other Dave called again.

"Books." The Doctor marveled. "You came in the books. Microspores in a million, million books."

"We should go, Doctor!" Other Dave repeated.

"Oh, look at that." The Doctor said, looking out at the endless city of books. "The forests of the Vashta Nerada, pulped and printed and bound. A million, million books, hatching shadows."

"We should go, Doctor!" Other Dave repeated.

The Doctor looked back at him, suddenly realizing that wasn't the first or even the second time the man had said that phrase.

"Oh, Dave!" he said sadly. "Oh, Dave, I'm so sorry!"

The lights on Other Dave's neural relay were blinking and behind the helmet was nothing but a skull.

Both skeletons began to move towards the Doctor.

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?"

"We should go, Doctor!"

"Thing about me, I'm stupid." The Doctor told them. "I talk too much, always babbling on, this gob doesn't stop for anything. Not even Lily. Drives her batty. But you wanna know the only reason I'm still alive? Always stay near the door."

He pointed the sonic screwdriver at the floor and dropped through a trap door. He quickly grabbed a beam and began to crawl along it, the screwdriver in his mouth.

* * *

The girl watched him, smiling.

* * *

"I suggested we meet here because a playground is the easiest place to see it, to see the lie." Miss Evangelista told Donna.

"What lie?" Donna asked.

"The children." She replied. "Look at the children."

"Why do you wear that veil?" Donna demanded. "If I had a face like yours, I wouldn't hide it."

"You remember my face, then?" Miss Evangelista said. "The memories are still there-the Library, the Doctor, me. You've just been programmed not to look."

"Sorry, but…you're dead." Donna told her.

"In a way, we're all dead her, Donna." She replied. "We are the dead of the Library."

"Well, what about the children?" Donna asked. "The children aren't dead. My children aren't dead."

"Your children were never alive." Miss Evangelista told her.

"Don't you say that." Donna told her. "Don't you dare say that about my children!"

"Look at your children." Miss Evangelista told her. "Look at all of them, really look."

Donna finally looked. Everywhere she looked were the children. The same two children. Over and over again.

"They're not real." Miss Evangelista told her. "Do you see it now? They're all the same. All the children of this world, the same boy and the same girl, over and over again."

"Stop it!" Donna ordered. "Just stop it! Why are you doing this? Why are you wearing that veil?"

She reached over and pulled off the veil to reveal a horribly distorted face. Donna and all the children screamed.

* * *

The girl screamed and covered her face with a pillow.

* * *

In the Library, River was examining the shadows with her screwdriver, while Lily stood by the door, watching for the Doctor.

"You know…it's funny." River said. "I keep wishing the Doctor was here."

"The Doctor is here, isn't he?" Anita asked. "He's coming back, right?"

"You know when you see a photograph of someone you know, but it's from years before you knew them?" River asked her. "It's like they're not quite…finished, they're not done yet. Well…yes, the Doctor's here. He came when I called, just like he always does. But not _my _Doctor. Now my Doctor…I've seen whole armies turn and run away. And he'd just swagger off back to his TARDIS and open the doors with a snap of his fingers. The Doctor…in the TARDIS…next stop: everywhere."

The Doctor suddenly walked through a different door from the one Lily was keeping watch at.

"Spoilers!" he said. "Nobody can open a TARDIS by snapping their fingers. It doesn't work like that. Though, Lily did once open them by whistling Amazing Grace, but we're pretty sure that was a fluke."

"It does for the Doctor." River told him.

"I _am_ the Doctor." He shot back.

"Yeah." She replied. "Some day."

Lily ran to him and jumped into his arms, and he hugged her tight, burying his face in her neck.

_I'm sorry. _She told him.

_Me too. _ He replied.

He let her go, kissing her forehead, before moving to Anita.

"How are you doing?" he asked her.

"Where's Other Dave?" River asked.

"Not coming." The Doctor replied. "Sorry."

"Well, if they've taken him, why haven't they gotten me yet?" Anita asked.

"I don't know." He told her.

He looked down at her shadows.

"Maybe tinting your visor's making a difference." The Doctor mused.

"It's making a difference alright." She said. "No one's ever going to see my face again."

"Can I get you anything?" he asked.

"An old age would be nice." She replied. "Anything you can do?"

"I'm all over it." He told her, smiling.

"Doctor…" she said. "When we first met you, you didn't trust Professor Song. And then she whispered a word in your ear, and you did. And then she whispered something to Lily, and she did too, grudgingly. My life so far…I could do with a word like that. What did she say?"

She paused, waiting for an answer.

"Give a dead girl a break." She finally said. "Your secrets are safe with me."

"Safe…" Lily murmured.

She exchanged a look with the Doctor.

"I knew there was something weird there." She said.

"Sure you did." He told her.

"What?" Anita asked.

"Safe." He repeated. "You don't say saved, nobody says saved, you say safe. The data fragment! What did it say?"

"4,022 people _saved_." Lily repeated from memory. "No survivors."

"Doctor?" River asked.

"Nobody says saved, nutters say saved, you say safe." He said. "But you see, it didn't mean safe, it meant…it literally meant…saved!"

* * *

"What happened to your face?" Donna asked.

"Transcription errors." Miss Evangelista answered. "Destroyed my face, did wonders for my intellect. I'm a very poor copy of myself."

* * *

The girl watched them talking on the television.

* * *

"Where are we?" Donna asked. "Why are the children all the same?"

"The same pattern over and over." Miss Evangelista replied. "It saves an awful lot of space."

"Space?" Donna questioned.

* * *

The girl was very scared.

* * *

"Cyberspace." Miss Evangelista replied.

* * *

"No!" the girl shouted. "Don't tell, you mustn't tell!"

* * *

"See, there it is, right there!" the Doctor said, pointing at the screen of an information terminal. "A hundred years ago, massive power surge, all the teleports going at once. Soon as the Vashta Nerada hit their hatching cycle, they attack. Someone hits the alarm, the computer tires to teleport everyone out."

"It tried to teleport 4,022 people?" River asked.

"It succeeded." Lily answered. "You've really got to give it points for gumption. That was truly inspired."

"The problem was not getting them." The Doctor explained. "It had them, but it had nowhere to send them. Nowhere safe in the whole Library with Vashta Nerada growing in ever shadow. 4,022 people all beamed up and nowhere to go. They're stuck in the system, waiting to be sent, like emails. So what's a computer to do? What does a computer always do?"

"It saved them." River marveled.

"And it's still doing it." Lily said. "It must have grabbed Donna when we sent her to the TARDIS. It's still trying to save everyone."

"The Library, a whole world of books, and right at the core, the biggest hard drive in history." The Doctor said. "The index to everything ever written, backup copies of every single book. The computer saved 4,022 people the only way a computer can. It saved them to the hard drive."

A/N: Second Chapter of Forest of the Dead. It's so much easier to write Lily and the Doctor when they're not fighting. You would not believe how much energy goes into figuring out snarky things for Lily to say to the Doctor. Everyone else, easy. The Doctor, not so much. So tell me what you thought.

Abbey


	42. Forest of the Dead: Waking Nightmares

Disclaimer: So I've planed a sit in at the BBC until the give me the Doctor. _I shall not be moved…._

Ch. 42:

"Your physical self is stored in the library as an energy signature." Miss Evangelista was explaining. "It can be actualized again whenever you or the Library requires."

"The Library?" Donna repeated. "If my face ends up on one of those statues…"

"You remember the statues?" Miss Evangelista asked.

"Wait, no, just…hang on. So…this isn't the real me? This isn't my real body. But I've been dieting!" Donna seethed.

"What you see around you, this entire world is nothing more than virtual reality." Miss Evangelista told her.

"So why do you look like that?" she asked.

"I had no choice." Miss Evangelista replied. "You teleported. You're a perfect reproduction. I was just a data ghost caught in the Wi-Fi and automatically uploaded."

"And it made you clever?" Donna asked.

"We're only strings of numbers." She explained. "I think a decimal point may have shifted in my IQ. But my face has been the bigger advantage. I have the two qualities you require to see absolute truth. I am brilliant…and unloved."

"If this is all a dream…" Donna said. "Whose dream is it?"

"It's hard to see everything in the data core, even for me." Miss Evangelista replied. "But there is a word. Just one word. CAL."

* * *

In her home, the girl was in tears watching them talk. She picked up the remote and pushed a button.

* * *

"Mummy!" Ella cried. "My knee!"

She was on the ground crying and Donna ran to her.

"Oh, oh look at that knee!" Donna told her. "Oh, look at that silly old knee!"

She hugged Ella.

"She's not real." Miss Evangelista said, walking up behind her. "They're fictions. I'm sorry, but now that you understand that, you won't be able to keep a hold. They are sustained only by your belief."

"You don't know." Donna replied. "You don't have children!"

"Neither do you." Miss Evangelista replied.

Donna took Ella and Joshua's hands and left.

"Donna, for you own sake, let them go!" Miss Evangelista called after her.

* * *

"Stop it!" the girl screamed at the television. "You'll spoil everything! I hate you, you're going to ruin everything! Stop it!"

Her dad came in from the kitchen.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" he asked her.

"Shut up!" she yelled.

She pushed a key on the remote and the Dad disappeared.

"Daddy!" she screamed. "No! Daddy!"

In despair, she threw the remote to the ground.

* * *

An alarm began sounding in the Library.

"What is it?" Lux demanded. "What's wrong?"

"Autodestruct enabled in 20 minutes." The computer announced.

"Every time." Lily complained. "Every freaking time we deal with a computer it tries to blow us up. What is that about?"

* * *

Donna and her children quickly walked away from the playground.

"Mummy, what did the lady mean?" Ella asked. Are we not real? Where are we going?"

"Home!" Donna replied.

_cut_

They sat huddled on the couch. All the lights were red and they could hear the alarm.

"That was quick, wasn't it, Mummy?" Ella asked.

"Mummy, what's wrong with the sky?" Joshua asked.

* * *

"What's maximum erasure?" River asked.

"Par for the course." Lily replied.

"20 minutes, this planet's gonna crack like an egg." The Doctor answered.

"No!" Lux told them. "No, it's alright, the doctor moon will stop it. It's programmed to protect CAL."

* * *

The girl was curled up on the floor, crying, while Dr. Moon sat next to her.

"Now, you really must stop this, you know." He told her in his usual calming tone. "You've forgotten again it was you who saved all those people, haven't you? And then, you remembered."

"Shut up, Dr. Moon!" she shouted.

She pressed a button on the remote again and Dr. Moon disappeared.

* * *

The screen of the information terminal goes blank.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" the Doctor shouted.

"All Library systems are permanently offline." The computer announced. "Sorry for any inconvenience. Shortly…"

"We need to stop this." Lux told them. "We've got to save CAL!"

"What is it?" Lily demanded. "What is CAL?"

"We need to get to the main computer." He told them. "I'll show you."

"It's at the core of the planet." The Doctor pointed out.

"Well, then." River said. "Let's go!"

She pointed her screwdriver at the symbol on the floor and the center of the room opened up.

"Gravity platform!" she announced.

"I bet we like you." The Doctor said.

"Speak for yourself." Lily grumbled.

"You do." River assured him, not specifying who she meant.

* * *

Donna sat on the couch, holding her children tight.

"Mummy, you're hurting my hand." Joshua told her.

"You just…you just stay where I can see you." Donna told them in tears. "Right, you, you don't get out of my sight."

"Is it bed time?" Ella asked.

_cut_

They children sat in their beds.

"Okay." Donna said. "That was lovely, wasn't it? That was a lovely bedtime. We had warm milk, and we watched cartoons, and then Mummy read you a lovely bedtime story."

"Mummy, Joshua and me, we're not real, are we?" Ella asked.

"Of course you're real." Donna told her. "You're as real as anything. Why d'you say that?"

"But, Mummy, sometimes, when you're not here, it's like we're not here." Joshua told her.

"Even when you close your eyes, we just stop." Ella added.

"Well, Mummy promises to never close her eyes again." Donna told them.

But when she looked at the beds, they were gone.

"No!" she cried. "Please! No, please! No! No, no! NO!"

* * *

"Autodestruct in 15 minutes." The computer told them.

"The Data Core!" the Doctor marveled. "4,000 living minds, trapped inside it."

"Yeah, well they won't be living much longer." River told him. "We're running out of time."

"She's got a point, Doctor." Lily said. "So, less talking, more doing. Try it."

"Isn't that what you always say?" he asked her, grinning.

"Really?" she shot back. "You think that this is the time to say that?"

He just grinned as he got to work and she shook her head at him.

* * *

In the girl's home, the girl was still on the floor, crying.

"Help me." She begged. "Please help me. Please, please help me!"

* * *

In the Library, they heard the girl's pleading coming from the terminal.

"Help me." She cried. "Please, help me."

"What's that?" Anita asked.

"Was that a child?" River asked.

"Computer's in sleep mode." The Doctor replied. He pushed the keys. "I can't wake it up. I'm trying."

River looked at the screen.

"Doctor, these readings!" River said.

"We're aware." Lily told her as the Doctor worked. "It's like she's dreaming."

"It is dreaming." Lux spoke up and they all turned to look at him. "Of a normal life, and a lovely Dad, and of every book ever written."

"Computers don't dream." Anita said.

"Help me." The girl begged. "Please help me."

"No." Lux answered. "But little girls do."

He pushed a lever and a door opened. He led them inside. There, they found a Node. It turned to face them and they saw that it was the little girl's face.

"Please help me." It begged in her voice. "Please help me."

"Oh, my God." River gasped.

"It's the little girl." Anita said. "The girl we saw in the computer."

Lily walked up to the Node, studying the face.

"She's not in the computer." Lux told them. "In a way, she is the computer. The main command node. This is CAL."

"CAL is a child!" the Doctor exclaimed. "A child hooked up to a mainframe? Why didn't you tell me this? I needed to know this!"

"Doctor!" Lily rebuked him.

"Because she's family!" Lux shot back. "CAL…Charlotte Abigail Lux. My grandfather's youngest daughter. She was dying, so he built her a library, and put her living mind inside, with a moon to watch over her, and all of human history to pass the time, any era to live in, any book to read. She loved books more than anything. He gave her them all. He asked only that she be left in peace. A secret, not a freak show."

"You weren't protecting a patent." Lily said softy. "You were protecting her."

"This is only half a life, of course." Lux said. "But it's forever."

"And then the shadows came." The Doctor said.

"Shadows." CAL said. "I have to…I have to save. Have to save…"

"And she saved them." The Doctor continued. "She saved everyone in the Library, folded them into her dreams and kept them safe."

"Then why didn't she tell us?" Anita asked.

"She forgot." Lily answered. "She's got over 4,000 living minds yelling in her head. It's got to be hell in there. It's like being…well, like him." She pointed to the Doctor. "And me, by extension."

"So what do we do?" River asked.

"Autodestruct in ten minutes." The computer told them.

"Easy!" the Doctor said. "We beam all the people out of the data core, the computer will reset and stop the countdown. Difficult, Charlotte doesn't have enough memory space left to make the transfer. Easy! I'll hook myself up to the computer and she can borrow my memory space."

"Stupid!" Lily shot back. "It'll kill you. Not only that, more importantly, it'll kill me."

"Thought it didn't matter." He told her.

"I've decided I rather like life." Lily replied. "So don't screw it up."

"I'll try my hardest not to die." The Doctor told her. "Honestly, it's my main thing."

"You can't!" River told him. "It'll burn out both your hearts and don't think you'll regenerate!"

"I'm right and this works! Shut up." he shouted at her. "Now listen, Lily, you, the Professor, and Luxy-boy, go back to the main library. Prime any data cells you can find for maximum download, and before you say anything else, Professor, can I just mention in passing as your air, shut up!"

"Ha!" she yelled. "I hate you sometimes!"

"I know!" he shouted back.

"That's okay, I always love you." Lily told him, kissing him swiftly.

She tried to pull away, but he held her close, deepening the kiss.

"I love you, so much." He told her when he finally pulled away. "So much."

"I know." She said, smiling softly. "Now, this is an order. Do. Not. Die."

"I'll do my best." He replied.

"Do better." she replied.

She backed away before turning around.

"Let's go, your Professorship." She called, running down the hallway.

"Anita, if he dies, I'll kill him!" River called as she and Lux ran after Lily.

The Doctor stood frantically working at the terminal.

"What about the Vashta Nerada?" Anita asked.

"These are their forests." The Doctor told her. "I'm gonna seal Charlotte inside her little world, take everybody else away. The shadows can swarm to their hearts' content."

"So, you think they're just gonna let us go?" she asked.

"Best offer they're gonna get." He replied.

"You're gonna make 'em an offer?" she asked.

"They'd better take it, cause right now, I'm finding it very hard to make any kind of offer at all." He told her. "You know what…"

He looked at her.

"I really like Anita." He told the thing that had taken her place. "She was brave, even when she was crying, and she never gave in. And you ate her."

He pointed the screwdriver at the visor and it revealed the skeleton inside.

"But I'm gonna let that pass." He told it, turning back to his work. "Just as long as you let them pass."

"How long have you known?" the Vashta Nerada asked.

"I counted the shadows." He replied. "You only have one now."

He glanced at the blinking neural relay.

"She's nearly gone." He told it. "Be kind."

"These are our forests." It replied. "We are not kind."

"I'm giving you back your forests, but you are giving me them." He told it. "You are letting them go."

Shadows reached out from it towards the Doctor.

"These are our forests." It told him. "They are our meat."

"Don't play games with me!" he shouted at it. "You just killed someone I liked, that's not a safe place to stand. I'm the Doctor and you're in the biggest library in the universe. Look me up."

After a moment, the shadows withdrew.

"You have one day." It told him.

The suit collapsed.

"Anita!" River called as she walked in.

"I'm sorry, she's been dead a while now." He told her. "I told you to go!"

"I thought I'd be more use down here." She told him.

She hit him across the back of the head without a word.

A/N: Third chapter down. We are coming to the end. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	43. Forest of the Dead: Everybody Lives

Disclaimer: They called the cops on my sit in. Are they allowed to do that?

Ch. 43:

Lily ran back to the room, leaving Lux the moment the Doctor's internal monologue disappeared. She had just noticed that River had disappeared a few seconds before.

She ran in to see River crouching in front of an unconscious Doctor. She seemed to be laying him against the wall.

"What did you do?" Lily demanded.

River glanced back at her.

"There was a power surge." She told the other woman. "I was just trying to wake him up. Help me?"

Lily approached her warily and kneeled next to the Doctor. Before she could stop her, River had a handcuff around her wrist and attached to a pipe.

"Let me go!" she yelled.

River just ignored her and did the same to the Doctor.

"River!" she yelled.

"I couldn't let him leave." She whispered to Lily. "Not you or me."

She got up and walked away and picked up where the Doctor had been forced to leave off.

Lily closed her eyes.

"Before you try to destroy them," River's voice came floating over, "you should know that they've been designed to withstand vortex powers."

"By who?" Lily demanded, opening her eyes. "Who gave them to you?"

"They were a birthday gift." River replied.

She went back to work and Lily pulled at the handcuffs uselessly.

* * *

The Doctor came round to find Lily next to him and River messing with some wires and sitting in a weird chair.

"Autodestruct in two minutes." The computer announced.

"Nice of you to join us." Lily told him.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, come on, what are you doing?" he yelled at River. "That's my job!"

"Oh, and I'm not allowed to have a career, I suppose?" she shot back.

The Doctor tried to get up and discovered the handcuffs. He looked at Lily, who waved with her handcuffed hand.

"Why are we handcuffed?" he demanded. "Why do you even have handcuffs?"

"Spoilers!" River told him.

"Oh, that's not all they are." Lily told him with fake cheerfulness. "They're vortex resistant handcuffs. Oh yes. They were a birthday gift."

"This is not a joke." The Doctor yelled at River. "Stop this now, this is gonna kill you! I'd have a chance, you don't have any."

"You wouldn't have a chance, and neither do I." River told him. "I'm timing it for the end of the countdown, there'll be a blip in the command flow. That way it should improve our chances of a clean download."

"River!" the Doctor shouted. "Please! No!"

"Funny thing is, this means you've always known how I was going to die." River continued. "All the time we've been together, you knew I was coming here. The last time I saw you, the real you, the future you, I mean-you turned up on my doorstep, with a new haircut and a suit. You took me to Darillium to see the singing towers. Oh, what a night that was! The towers sang, and you cried."

"Autodestruct in one minute."

"You wouldn't tell me why, but I suppose you knew it was my time." She told him. "My time. Time to come to the Library. You even gave me your screwdriver-that should have been a clue."

The Doctor saw the two screwdrivers sitting on her diary. He tried to reach, but it was too far away.

"There's nothing you can do." She told him.

"You can let me do this!" he shot back.

"If you die here, it'll mean I've never met you." River told him.

"Time can be rewritten." The Doctor said.

"Not those times." She said. "Not one line! Don't you dare! It's okay. It's okay, it's not over for you. You'll see me again. You've got all of that to come. You and me, time and space. You watch us run!"

A tear slipped down her face.

"River, you know my name!" he shouted at her.

"You know both our names." Lily said suddenly.

"Autodestruct in ten…"

"There is only one way for a Time Lord to reveal their name and you know both of ours." She continued quickly. "That's not possible. There are restrictions on a Time Lord saying their own names because they describe us perfectly. If we were to say our own names wrong, just one syllable off, just once, it would change who we were. But there are no such restrictions on a Time Lord's mate. The only other being in the universe they can tell their name to. We can say the name freely. So we didn't tell you our names, did we? We told you each other's names. The Doctor told you mine and I told you his. That's how you know."

"…nine, eight, seven…"

"That's the only way it would work." Lily said. "River, tell me that we told you our names."

"Shh." River said, smiling at them. "Spoilers."

"…three, two, one…"

River plugged two cables together and she disappeared in a white light.

* * *

Donna was sitting on the stairs of her home when Lee arrived.

"Donna?" he said. "What's happening?"

"I don't know, but it's not real." She told him. "The whole world, everything, none of it's real."

"Am I real?" he asked her.

They were surrounded by a white light.

"Of course you're real." She told him. "I know you're real. Oh god, oh god, I hope you're real…"

Lee drifted away from her, disappearing into the light.

"I'll find you!" she yelled to him. "I promise you, I'll find you!"

* * *

Mr. Lux was in the reception area working on a terminal.

"Excuse me." A voice said.

Lux turned and saw a room full of people.

"What happened?" a man asked. "How did we get here?"

"Look at you, you're back!" Lux rejoiced. "You're all back."

He went through the crowed, hugging people at random.

"He did it!" he shouted. "You're all back. Look at you!"

Laughing with delight, he walked outside to see a planet alive again.

"Look at that!" he said. "Oh look at that, he did it. 4,022 people! Saved!"

* * *

Down in the core, the Doctor sat with an arm around her as she buried her face in his chest. She didn't cry, she didn't say a word. She just let him hold her as he stared at the chair where River had been.

* * *

Donna walked to the Doctor and Lily through the crowd in the little shop.

"Please be patient." A teleport operator called. "Only three can teleport at a time. Do not sate your intended destination until you arrive in…"

"Any luck?" the Doctor asked her, his arm around Lily.

"There wasn't even anyone called Lee in the Library that day." She told him. "Suppose he could have had a different name out here, but let's be honest, he wasn't real, was he?"

"Maybe not." The Doctor agreed.

"I made up the perfect man." Donna said. "Gorgeous, adores me, and hardly able to speak a word. What's that say about me?"

"Everything." The Doctor said absentmindedly.

Lily elbowed him in the stomach as Donna looked at him, offended.

"Sorry, did I say everything?" he said quickly. "I meant to say 'nothing'. I was aiming for 'nothing', I accidentally said 'everything'."

"Stand right in the middle of the teleport, please." The operator said. "Keep your hands and feet inside at all times."

"What about you?" Donna asked.

"And remember to switch off your mobile comm. unit." The operator said.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm always alright." The Doctor said.

"Is 'alright' special Time Lord code for 'really not alright at all'?" she asked.

"Why?" the Doctor asked as Lily nodded.

"Cause I'm 'alright', too." Donna told him.

The three looked at each other, understanding each other perfectly. Lily reached out and took Donna's hand and joined her other hand with the Doctor's.

"Come on." She said.

They turned and left.

Donna never saw Lee on the teleport pad, trying to call her name, but the stutter hindered the effort.

* * *

The Doctor set River's diary on a rail outside of reception.

"Your friend…Professor Song…she knew you in the future, but she didn't know me." Donna said. "What happens to me? Because when she heard my name, the way she looked at me…"

"Donna…" the Doctor said. "This is her diary. My future. I could look you up. What do you think? Shall we peek at the end?"

"Spoilers, right?" Donna replied.

"Right." He said.

They all looked at each other and Lily shook her head. The Doctor set River's screwdriver on top of the book and they turned away.

"Come on." The Doctor said. "The next chapter's this way."

_When you run with the Doctor, it feels like it will never end. But however hard you try, you can't run for ever. Everybody knows that everybody dies, and nobody knows it like the Doctor. But I do think that all the skies of all the worlds might just turn dark, if he ever, for one moment accepts it._

The Doctor ran back and grabbed the screwdriver. Lily and Donna ran after him.

"Why?" he asked Lily. "Why would I give her my screwdriver? Why would I do that? Thing is, future me had years to think about it, all those years to think of a way to save her, and what he did was give her a screwdriver! Why would I do that?"

He opened a panel and revealed a blinking green light. A neural relay.

"Oh!" he shouted. "Oh! Oh, look at that! I'm very good!"

"What have you done?" Donna asked.

"He's saved her." Lily replied, smiling.

He ran across the Library to the entrance to the core.

"Stay with me!" he shouted. "You can do it, stay with me! Come on, you and me, one last run! Sorry, River, shortcut!"

He used his screwdriver to disable the gravity platform and jumped down the hole.

_Everybody knows that everybody dies. But not ever day._

The Doctor plugged the screwdriver into the computer and smiled at CAL.

_Not today._

* * *

River appeared in front of the hospital, and standing a little ways away was Dr. Moon and CAL.

"It's okay." CAL told her. "You're safe. You'll always be safe here. The Doctor fixed the data core. This is a good place now. But I was worried you might be lonely, so I brought you some friends. Aren't I clever girl?"

"Aren't we all?" a voice called.

River turned to see Miss Evangelista, her face fixed, Proper Dave, Other Dave, and Anita walking towards her.

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" she exclaimed. "They just can't do it, can they? Those two, they're impossible! They just can't give in."

She hugged everyone.

_Some days are special. Some days are so, so blessed. Some days, nobody dies at all._

* * *

The Doctor walked up to the TARIDS and stood in front of it for a moment. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

The doors opened.

He smiled and walked inside to Lily's waiting arms. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, before turning back.

He snapped his fingers and the doors closed.

* * *

_Now and then, every once in a very long while, every day in a million days, when the wind stands fair, and the Doctor and the Phoenix come to call…everybody lives._

River closed the TARDIS book and stood up. She bent over and kissed first CAL's forehead, then Joshua's, then Ella's.

"Sweet dreams, everyone." She told them.

She switched off the lights and left.

A/N: Forests of the Dead is done. Let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	44. Midnight: Vacation Interrupted

Disclaimer: Jail cells aren't very nice. They look much better on TV.

Ch. 43:

Lily and Donna sat basking in the sun under a glass dome in chairs by a sparkling pool. A man walked up to them with a phone on a tray.

Lily cracked an eye and groaned.

"Oh, it's your turn this time." She told her friend.

"He's your mate." Donna protested. "You deal with him."

"I can't hear you." Lily said, humming to herself.

Donna grumbled but took the phone from the man. As he walked away, she answered it.

"We said no!" she said, putting the phone on speakerphone just to annoy Lily, who stuck her tongue out at her.

"Sapphire waterfall-it's a waterfall made of sapphires!" The Doctor said without preamble.

Donna smiled as Lily mouthed the words along with him.

"This enormous jewel," he continued, oblivious, "size of a glacier, reaches the Cliffs of Oblivion, and then shatters into sapphires at the edge-they fall 100,000 feet into a crystal ravine."

"He says that to all the girls." Lily said.

"Oh, come on!" the Doctor said. "They're boarding now! It's no fun if I see it on my own. Four hours, that's all it takes."

"No, that's four hours there and four hours back." Donna corrected. "It's like a school trip."

"Come on." He begged.

"Oh, you Time Lord _wimp_!" Lily said, laughing. "Fine, I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Are you sure?" Donna asked her. "We could just sunbath."

"Nah." Lily said. "I know they say it's safe, but Xtonic sunlight makes me nervous."

"Suit yourself." Donna replied.

"So you're coming?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes, you dork, I'm coming." Lily said.

She walked off to a room off the main room.

"Great!" he said happily. "Donna, we'll be back for dinner, we'll try that anti-gravity restaurant. With bibs."

"It'll be just like trying to eat while he's driving." Lily said, pulling on her jacket as she came back out dressed in her usual jeans, t-shirt, and boots ensemble.

"Oi!" Donna said. "You two be careful, all right?"

"Nah." He said. "Taking a big space truck with a bunch of strangers across a diamond planet called Midnight-what could possibly go wrong?"

He hung up the phone and Lily groaned.

"He's a dead man." She told her friend. "You might as well cancel the dinner plans. We'll be in trouble before we even reach the waterfalls."

She shook her head and walked out.

* * *

The Doctor sat on the shuttle watching the passengers board. The hostess was talking to a woman who sat near the Doctor.

"Complimentary juice pack and complimentary…"

"Just the headphones, please." The woman interrupted.

"There you go." The hostess said.

She moved to the Doctor.

"That's the headphones for Channels 1 to 36; modem link for 3D vidgames; complimentary earplugs; complimentary slippers; complimentary juice pack; and complimentary peanuts. I must warn you some products may contain nuts."

"That'll be the peanuts." A voice said.

The Doctor looked around the hostess to Lily, who stood smirking behind her.

"Nice of you to join us." He said.

"Oi." She replied, sitting down. "You wanted me to come. It's not my fault you didn't call until ten minutes ago."

"Welcome aboard, miss." The Hostess said. "For your convenience, we have-"

"I heard the spiel." Lily said, leaning over to kiss the Doctor before sitting in the seat next to him. "You don't have to go through all it again. Just lay the free stuff on me."

The Hostess smiled and handed her all the things.

"Enjoy your trip." She told them.

"Oh, I can't wait!" the Doctor replied. "Allons-y!"

"I'm sorry?" the Hostess asked.

"It's French for let's go!" he replied, sounding slightly put out at having to explain.

"Fascinating." The hostess replied.

She moved on to the people behind the Doctor and Lily.

"Headphones for channels 1-36…"

"Oh no, thank you, not for us!" the man told her.

"Earplugs, please." The woman said.

"There you go." The hostess replied, handing them to her.

"They call it a sapphire waterfall, but it's no such thing." The man said to his companion. "Sapphire's an aluminum oxide, but the glacier is just a compound silica with iron pigmentation!"

"He's killing my buzz." Lily whispered to the Doctor. "What's cooler, a waterfall of sapphires or a waterfall of 'a compound silica with iron pigmentation'? Please just leave me my fantasies."

The Doctor chuckled.

The hostess had moved on to a man and woman who were obviously married.

"…complimentary juice pack and complimentary peanuts." She said.

"Thank you." The woman replied.

"Have you got that pillow for my neck?" the man behind the Doctor and Lily asked.

"Yes, sir." The woman replied.

"And the pills?" he asked.

"Yes, all measured out for you, there you go." She told him.

The Doctor and Lily popped up over the back of their seats to look at them.

"Hobbes!" the man said. "Professor Winfold Hobbes!"

"I'm the Doctor, hello!" he replied, shaking the other man's hand.

"I'm Lily." She said, waving.

"It's my 14th time!" Hobbes told them.

"Oh!" the Doctor said. "It's our first."

"And I'm Dee Dee, Dee Dee Blasco." The woman said, shaking their hands.

"Now don't bother the couple!" Hobbes told her. "Where's my water bottle?"

Lily and the Doctor exchanged a look before turning around.

The hostess had moved on to a teenage boy who looked to be the couple's son, but was sitting away from them.

"…complimentary slippers, complimentary juice pack, and complimentary peanuts." She was telling him. "I must warn you some products may contain nuts."

"Don't be silly, come and sit with us." The woman told him. "Look! We get slippers!"

"Jethro!" the man said sharply. "Do what your mother says."

"I'm sitting here." Jethro replied.

"Kid after my own heart." Lily muttered.

"Oh, he's ashamed of us." His father said. "But he doesn't mind us paying, does he?"

"Oh, don't you two start." His mother said. "Should I save the juice pack or have it now? Look, peach and clementine!"

"Too bad they don't hand out complimentary brains." Lily muttered.

"Stop it." The Doctor told her quietly, trying to hide a smile.

She just grinned and laid her head on his shoulder.

The hostess made her way to the front.

"Ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon, welcome on board the Crusader 50." She said. "If you would fasten your seatbelts, we'll be leaving any moment. Doors!"

The doors automatically sealed.

"Shields down!" she called.

Shields descended in front of the windows.

"I'm afraid the view is shielded until we reach the Waterfall Palace." She told them. "Also, a reminder, Midnight has no air, so please don't touch the exterior door seals. Fire exit at the rear, and should we need to use it…you first."

She was the only one to laugh.

"Now I will hand you over to Driver Joe." She said.

"_Driver Joe?" _ Lily mouthed and the Doctor shushed her with a smile.

"Driver Joe at the wheel!" a voice came over the intercom. "There's been a diamond fall at the Winter Witch Canyon, so we'll be taking a slight detour, as you'll see on the map."

A map popped up on the screen.

"The journey covers 500 kliks to the Multifaceted Coast," he continued, "duration is estimated at four hours. Thank you for traveling with us, and as they used to say in the olden days, wagons roll!"

They felt the engines start and they were on their way.

"For your entertainment, we have the Music Channel playing retrovids of Earth Classics." The Hostess told them.

She pressed a button and the video for Do It Do It Again appeared.

"Also, the latest artistic installation from Ludovico Klein."

She pressed another key and a hologram show began.

"Plus, for the youngsters, a rare treat-the Animation Archives."

She turned on a projector that began showing old cartoons.

"Four hours of funtime!" she told them. "Enjoy!"

Lily stared at the Doctor in abject horror.

_I'll give you a hundred dollars if you stop it._ She told him seriously.

He smiled and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. A second later, everything turned off.

"Well, that's a mercy!" Hobbes said.

"Pay up." The Doctor said, holding out his hand.

Lily grumbled under her breath about greedy Time Lords, but pulled out her wallet from her pocket and handed him a hundred.

"I still don't understand why you insist on carrying around Earth money." He told her, slipping the bill into his pocket. They both knew it would find its way back into Lily's wallet.

"I like having it." She told him, shrugging.

"I do apologize, ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon." The hostess said. "We seem to have had a failure of the Entertainment System…"

"Ooh." The Doctor said.

"What a pity." Lily added.

"But what do we do?" Jethro's mother asked, truly upset.

"We've got four hours of this!" her husband said. "Four hours of just…sitting here?"

"Tell you what!" the Doctor said. "We'll have to talk to each other instead!"

He grinned while everyone else, including Lily, stared at him like he was insane.

He kept smiling and Lily groaned and put her face in her hand.

* * *

98 kliks later…

Everyone was sitting around talking and laughing, with the exception of Sky, the woman from in front of Lily and the Doctor, who was sitting reading a book.

The Doctor was sitting talking to Biff and Val, Jethro's parents, and Lily was sitting talking to Jethro himself.

"So Biff said, 'I'm going swimming'." Val was saying.

"Oh, I was all ready, trunks and everything! Nose plug!" Biff added.

"He had this little nose plug, you should've seen him." Val said.

"And I went marching up to the lifeguard, and he was a Shamboni, you know, those big foreheads?" Biff asked.

"Great big forehead!" Val added.

"And I said, where's the pool?" Biff said. "And he said…"

"'The pool is abstract'!" Val and Biff said together.

"It wasn't a real pool!" Val told them.

"It was a concept!" Biff said.

"And you wore a nose plug!" the Doctor said, laughing.

"I was like this!" Biff said, pinching he nose. "Mmm…where's the pool?"

"Parents are about the most embarrassing thing in the universe, aren't they?" Jethro muttered to Lily as everyone laughed.

"I don't know." She replied. "I think lovers are coming in a close second."

"Aren't you a little young for him?" Jethro asked. "You don't look that much older than me."

"You have no idea." Lily told him, patting him on the leg before getting up.

She walked over to the Doctor and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissing the top of his head. He looked up at her and smiled, squeezing her arm gently.

* * *

150 kliks later…

The Doctor and Lily, his arm around her waist, stood talking to Dee Dee in the galley.

"I'm just a second-year student, but I wrote a paper on the Lost Moon of Poosh." She was telling them. "Professor Hobbes read it, liked it, took me on as a researcher. Just for the holidays. Well, I say researcher, most of the time he's got me fetching and carrying. But it's all good experience!"

"And did they ever find it?" Lily asked her.

"Find what?" Dee Dee asked.

"The Lost Moon of Poosh!" she said.

"Oh no!" Dee Dee replied, laughing. "Not yet!"

"Well, maybe that'll be your great discovery, one day." The Doctor told her. "Here's to Poosh!"

He lifted his cup and the other two followed suit.

"Poosh!" Dee Dee called.

* * *

209 kliks later…

The Doctor was sitting beside Sky, having just had their meals served. Lily was curled up in the two seats behind them, fast asleep.

"How can she sleep like that?" Sky asked him.

The Doctor glanced back at Lily.

"She's sick." He told her quietly. "She has been for a while and it's getting worse. It makes her tired. I've seen her sleep sitting up in a straight back chair because she's so tired."

"I'm sorry." Sky said. "So it's just the two of you?"

"No, no." the Doctor answered. "We have this friend, Donna. She stayed behind in the Leisure Palace. You?"

"No, it's just me." Sky answered.

"Oh, I've done plenty of that." The Doctor told her. "Travelling on my own. I love it. Do what you want! Go anywhere!"

"No, I'm still getting used to it." Sky replied. "I've…found myself single rather recently, not by choice."

"What happened?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, the usual." She replied. "She needed her own space, as they say. A different galaxy, in fact. I reckon that's enough space, don't you?"

"Yeah…" the Doctor told her. "I had a friend who went to a different universe."

"Oh, what's this, chicken or beef?" Sky asked, studying her meat.

"I think it's both." The Doctor replied.

* * *

251 kliks later…

The Doctor now sat with Lily's head in his lap while she had his hand firmly held in hers, curled into her chest where he could feel every heartbeat, still fast asleep. Professor Hobbes stood in the back telling them about Midnight.

"So, this is Midnight, d'you see?" he said, pointing to the diagram he had on the screen. "Bombarded by the sun! Xtonic rays, raw galvanic radiation. Dee Dee, next slide!"

She switched to the next slide.

"It's my pet project." He told them. "Actually, I'm the first person to research this. Because you see…the history is fascinating, because there is no history. There's no life in this entire system, there couldn't be. Before the Leisure Palace Company moved in, no one had come here in all eternity. No living thing."

"But how d'you know?" Jethro asked. "I mean, if no one can go outside…."

"Oh, his imagination!" Val dismissed him. "Here we go!"

"He's got a point, though." The Doctor said.

"Exactly!" Hobbes said. "We look upon this world through glass. Safe inside our metal box. Even the Leisure Palace was lowered down from orbit. And here we are now, crossing Midnight, but never touching it."

There was a rattling and the engines went silent.

A/N: First chapter of Midnight. Okay, I must say that this episode is fairly daunting. It's a lot of dialogue! Tell me what you think! Not just about the chapter, I mean everything you think. I want us to talk. We never just talk anymore. So go ahead and press the button. Oh, so you don't love me anymore? Well fine be that way.

Abbey


	45. Midnight: Impossibility Knocks

Disclaimer: I got bailed out finally. I never want to talk about it again.

Ch. 45:

"We've stopped." Val said. "Have we stopped?"

"Are we there?" Biff asked.

The Doctor gently shook Lily's shoulder.

_You need to wake up, Lily-girl. _He told her softly.

_Mmm? _ She said, cracking her eye. _Are we there?_

"We can't be, it's too soon." Dee Dee said.

_I guess that answers my question._ Lily said.

She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes.

"They don't stop, Crusader vehicles never stop." Hobbes said.

"If you could just…return to your seats." The hostess said, walking to the intercom. "It's…just a small delay."

"Maybe just a pit stop." Biff said.

"What's going on?" they heard the hostess ask.

"There's no pit to stop in." Hobbes replied. "I've been on this expedition 14 times, they never stop."

"Well, evidently, we have stopped, so there's no point in denying it." Sky said.

"We've broken down!" Jethro said laughing.

"Thanks, Jethro." Val said sarcastically.

"In the middle of nowhere!" Jethro continued.

"That's enough, now stop it!" Biff ordered.

The hostess walked back to talk to them.

"Ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon," she said. "We're just experiencing a short…delay, the driver needs to stabilize the engine feeds. It's perfectly routine, so if you could just stay in your seats…"

Lily and the Doctor got up and walked towards the driver's cabin, Lily stretching as she went.

"No, I'm sorry sir, ma'am," the hostess said. "I…could you please…"

"There you go, engine experts!" the Doctor said, motioning to Lily and himself. "Two ticks!"

He opened the door and he and Lily entered.

"Sorry, sir, if you could just sit down!" the hostess protested. "You're not supposed to be in there…"

The door closed behind them.

"Sorry, if you could just return to your seats, sir…" the driver said.

"Company insurance." The Doctor interrupted. "Let's see if we can get an early assessment. So, what the problem, Driver Joe?"

"We're stabilizing the engine feeds, won't take long." Joe replied.

"Um, no, cause that's the engine feed, that light there." Lily said, pointing sleepily. "It's fine. Next one?"

"Plus it's a micropetrol engine, so stabilizing doesn't really make sense, does it?" the Doctor said. "Sorry! I'm the Doctor, I'm very clever."

"And oh so humble." Lily muttered.

"So, what's wrong?" the Doctor asked, ignoring her.

"We just stopped." The other man in the cockpit told them. "Look, all systems fine and everything's working, but we're not moving."

The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver and checked the panel with it.

"Yeah, you're right." He said. "No faults. And who are you?"

"Claude." The man answered. "I'm the mechanic. Trainee."

"Nice to meet you." The Doctor said.

"I've sent a distress signal." Joe said. "They should dispatch a rescure truck, top speed."

"How long till they get here?" Lily asked.

"About an hour." Joe replied.

"Fantastic." She muttered.

"Well, since we're waiting…shall we take a look outside?" the Doctor asked. "Just…lift the screens a bit?"

"It's 100% Xtonic out there." Joe told them. "We'd be vaporized."

"No, those windows are Flintoglass, they'd give you a couple minutes." The Doctor said. "Go on! Live a little!"

Joe gave in and pressed a button. The shield rose and the four of them stared in awe.

"Look at all those diamonds!" Claude marveled. "Poisoned by the sun. No one can ever touch them."

"Joe, you said we took a detour?" the Doctor said.

"Just about 40 kliks to the west." Joe replied.

"Is that a recognized path?" The Doctor asked.

"No, it's a new one." Joe replied. "The computer worked it out on automatic."

"So we're the first?" Lily asked. "No one has ever seen what we're seeing in the whole of history?"

She smiled and entwined her fingers with the Doctor, who returned her smile, squeezing her hand.

"Did you just…?" Claude said suddenly. "No, sorry, it's…nothing."

"What did you see?" Lily asked him.

"Just there." Claude said, pointing. "That ridge. Like…like a shadow. Just, just for a second."

"What sort of shadow?" the Doctor asked.

An alarm began to sound.

"Xtonic rising!" Joe said. "Shields down."

"Look, look, there it is, there it is!" Claude said, pointing frantically as the shield desended. "Look, there!"

"Where?" the Doctor asked. "What was it?"

"Like, just, something….shifting." Claude struggled to describe. "Something sort of…dark. Like it was running."

"Running which way?" Lily asked.

"Towards us…" Claude replied, trailing off.

"Of course it was." Lily muttered.

"Right, Doctor, ma'am, back to your seat and not a word." Joe told them. "Rescue's on its way. If you could close the door, thank you."

The Doctor and Lily made their way out to the passenger cabin.

"What did they say?" Sky asked. "Did they tell you? What is it, what's wrong?"

"Oh, just stabilizing." The Doctor told her. "Happens all the time."

"I don't need this." She said. "I'm on a schedule. This is completely unnecessary!"

"Back to your seats, thank you." The hostess said.

The Doctor and Lily moved to their seats while the hostess made her way up to the cockpit.

When Lily sat down, she closed her eyes.

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked quietly.

"I should've stayed with Donna." She said. "The moment you asked what could happen, I should've gotten back in my swim suit and stayed put. You just had to tempt fate didn't you?"

"Sorry." He said meekly.

She cracked an eye to look at him.

"No, you're not." She growled.

He grinned at her.

"You're right."

She growled again before shutting her eye.

"Excuse me, Doctor, but they're micropetrol engines, aren't they?" Dee Dee asked in a low voice, leaning forward.

"Now, don't bother the man." Hobbes told her.

"My father was a mechanic." She continued. "Micropetrol doesn't stabilize, what does 'stabilize' mean?"

"Well." The Doctor said. "Bit of flim-flam. Don't worry, they're sorting it out."

"So it's not the engines?" Hobbes asked.

"It's just a little pause, that's all." The Doctor replied.

"How much air have we got?" Hobbes demanded.

"Professor, it's fine." Dee Dee told him.

"What did he say?" Val asked.

"Nothing." The Doctor replied.

"Are we running out of air?" the woman demanded.

"I was just speculating…" Hobbes said.

The hostess walked out of the cockpit.

"Is that right, miss?" Biff asked her. "Are we running out of air?"

"Is that what the Captain said?" Val asked.

"If you could all just remain calm…" she replied.

"How much air have we got?" Val demaned.

"Mum, just stop it." Jethro told her.

"I assure you, everything is under control." The hostess told them.

"Well, doesn't look like it too me!" Biff said.

"Well, he said it." Val accused.

"…it's fine, the air is on a circular filter…" Dee Dee was trying to say.

"…he started it…" Val continued.

Everyone just started talking at once.

"Shh!" the Doctor tried. "Shh!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Lily yelled.

They all turned and looked at her.

"Thank you." She said in a more normal tone. "Now, if you will all direct your attention to the Doctor."

"Um, thank you." He said, staring at him mate. "Now, if you'd care to listen to my good friend Dee Dee…"

"Oh!" she said, surprised by the sudden attention. "Um…it's just that…well, the air's on a circular filter so…we could stay breathing for ten years."

"There you go!" the Doctor said. "And I've spoken to the Captain, I can guarantee you, everything's fine."

They heard two knocks on the wall.

"I'm duct tapping your mouth shut." Lily told him.

"What was that?" Val demanded.

"It must be the metal." Hobbes told them. "We're cooling down, it's just settling…"

"Rocks." Dee Dee suggested. "Could be rocks falling."

"What I want to know is, how long do we have to sit here?" Biff asked.

The knocking was repeated, still just two knocks.

"What is that?" Sky asked.

"Is someone out there?" Val called.

"Now, don't be ridiculous!" Hobbes said.

"Like I said," Dee Dee told them, "it could be rocks."

"We're out in the open." The hostess said. "Nothing could fall against the sides."

The two knocks came again.

"Knock knock." The Doctor said.

"Who's there?" Jethro and Lily said at the same moment.

"Is there something out there?" Sky called. "Well? Anyone?"

It knocked again.

"What the hell is making that noise?" she demanded.

"I'm sorry, but the light out there is Xtonic, that means it would destroy any living thing, in a split-second." Hobbes told her. "It is impossible for someone to be outside."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Lily said, looking around the walls. "'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy'."

The knocking repeated.

"Well, what the hell is that, then?" Sky demanded.

The Doctor pulled out his stethoscope and put it on the wall where the last knocks had come from.

"Sir!" the hostess called. "You really should get back to your seat."

"Hello?" the Doctor called.

The knocking came from the rear of the bus, near the fire exit, this time.

"It's moving…" Jethro pointed out.

The door began to rattle like something was trying to open it.

"It's trying the door!" Val called.

"There is no 'it', there's nothing out there." Hobbes told her. "Can't be."

Something rattled the door again. Then it began to move-always knocking twice-around the bus from the roof to the side door.

"That's the entrance." Val said. "Can it get in?"

"No, that door's on two hundred weight of hydraulics." Dee Dee replied.

"Stop it." Hobbes told her. "Don't encourage them."

"What do you think it is?" she asked him.

Biff went to the door.

"Biff, don't…" Val said.

"Mr. Cane, better not…" The Doctor said.

"Nah, it's cast iron, that door…" Biff replied.

_I don't like this, Doctor._ Lily said.

He nodded his agreement.

Biff knocked on the door three times and the thing outside knocked three times.

"Three times!" Val said. "Did you hear that, it did it three times?"

"It answered!" Jethro marveled.

"It did it three times!" Val continued.

"All right, all right, all right." The Doctor said. "Everyone, calm down."

"No, but it answered." Sky said. "It…answered. Don't tell me that thing's not alive, it answered him!"

The thing knocked three times again.

"I really must insist you get back to your seats!" the hostess told them.

"No!" Sky yelled at her. "Don't just stand there telling us the rules! You're the hostess, you're supposed to do something!"

The Doctor walked to the door and knocked four times. The thing responded with four knocks.

Lily walked up behind him and grabbed his collar before turning around and dragging him away.

_Stupid, idiotic, moronic, damn curious Time Lords…_she muttered in her head.

"Hey, I'll admit to being curious." He told her aloud. "But the rest are just mean spirited."

She turned and growled at him.

"But I may be wrong." He said, holding up his hands.

The thing knocked again.

"What is it, what the hell's making that noise?" Sky yelled, beginning to panic. "She said she'd get me. Stop it, make it stop, somebody make it stop! Don't just stand there looking at me, it's not my fault, he started it with his stories…"

"Calm down!" Dee Dee told her.

"…and he made it worse…" Sky continued raving.

"You're not helping!" Val yelled at her.

"…why couldn't you leave it alone?" Sky demanded. "Stop staring at me! Just tell me what the hell it is!"

"Calm down!" Dee Dee yelled.

The knocking became continuous. In her panic, Sky began backing towards the cockpit doors, the knocking following her.

"It's coming for me." She said. "Ohh, it's coming for me, it's coming for me…it's coming for me! It's coming for me!"

She screamed and the Doctor moved towards her.

"Get out of there!" he shouted.

Suddenly, the whole shuttle rocked and lights went out and sparks flew. The Doctor grabbed Lily and pulled her to him, shielding her. People screamed and finally the shuttled stopped moving.

A/N: Chapter two. Sorry it took so long. So, 13 more reviews and we've beaten Never Gonna be Alone at the point where it finished. How awesome is that? Let's do it!

Abbey


	46. Midnight: That Annoying Voice

Disclaimer: Why? That's my only question. WHY?

Ch. 46:

Everyone sat up slowly as the bus stilled. It was dark and they could barely see.

"All right?" Biff asked, holding Val tight. "Okay."

The Doctor moved off Lily and realized she wasn't moving.

"Lily!" he said urgently.

She groaned and put her hand to her head. It came away slightly bloody.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm going to kill you." She moaned. "I'm bleeding. Does it look like I'm alright?"

"She's fine." The Doctor said. "Everyone else?"

No one noticed the flash of a woman yelling silently across the screen.

"How are we?" he asked again. "Everyone alright?"

"Earthquakes." Hobbes said. "Must be…"

"But that's impossible." Dee Dee told him. "The ground is fixed, it's solid."

"We've got torches, everyone." The hostess said. "Take a torch, they're in the back of the seats."

Everyone managed to get a flashlight and turned them on as they looked around.

"Oh, Jethro, sweetheart, come here…" Val said.

"Never mind me, what about her?" Jethro replied, pointing.

Everyone turned to see Sky sitting motionless among ruined seats, her back to the others.

"What happened to the seats?" Val gasped.

"Who did that?" Biff asked.

"They've been ripped up." Val marveled.

"It's all right." The Doctor said to Sky soothingly. "It's all right, it's all right, it's over. We're still alive…Look, the wall's still intact. D'you see?"

He pointed his flashlight at the wall and they saw that it was dented, but indeed intact. The hostess, in the mean time, had made her way to the intercom and was trying to raise the cockpit.

"Joe?" she called. "Claude?"

"We're safe." The Doctor said, still talking to Sky.

"Driver Joe, can you hear me?" the hostess called. "I'm not getting any response, the intercom must be down."

She opened the door to the cockpit and the light blinds everyone. She slammed her hand down on the button as everyone screamed, sealing the doors.

"What happened?" Val yelled. "What was that?"

"Is it the driver?" Biff demanded. "Have we lost the driver?"

"The cabin's gone." The hostess told them.

"Don't be ridiculous." Hobbes said. "It can't be gone, how can it be gone?"

"Well, but you saw it!" Dee Dee said.

"There was nothing there, like it was ripped away." The hostess said.

The Doctor was messing with a panel on the front wall with the sonic.

"What are you doing?" Biff demanded, pointing his flashlight at the Doctor.

"That's better, bit of light, thank you." The Doctor said. "Molto bene!"

"D'you know what you're doing?" Val demanded.

"The cabin's gone, you'd better leave that wall alone." Biff said.

"The cabin can't be gone!" Hobbes told them again.

"No, it's safe, any rupture would automatically seal itself…" the Doctor said as he took off the panel. "But something sliced it off. You're right. The cabin's gone."

"But if it gets separated…" the hostess said.

"It loses integrity." The Doctor finished. "I'm sorry, they've been reduced to dust. The driver and the mechanic. But they sent a distress signal. Help is on its way. They saved our lives! We're gonna get out of here, I promise. We're still alive, and they're gonna find us."

"Doctor." Lily called. "Look at her."

He looked back at his mate and then to Sky who she was pointing at.

"Right." He said. "Yes, sorry…Have we got a medical kit?"

"Why won't she turn around?" Jethro asked.

"Sky?" the Doctor called. "Can you hear me?"

He went and crouched down next to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Can you move, Sky? Just look at me."

"That noise." Jethro said. "From outside…"

"What of it?" Val asked.

"It's stopped." He pointed out.

"Well, thank God for that." Val replied.

"But what if it's not outside anymore?" he asked. "What if it's inside?"

"Inside?" Val asked. "Where?"

Jethro looked at Sky.

"It was heading for her." He said.

"Sky…" the Doctor said. "It's all right, Sky. I just want you to turn around, face me."

Slowly, the woman turned and stared at the Doctor with wide eyes. They were the eyes of a wild animal caught in the headlights.

"Sky?" the Doctor asked.

"Sky?" she repeated.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Are you alright?" she repeated.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"Are you hurt?"

"You don't have to talk." He told her.

"You don't have to talk."

"I'm trying to help." He added.

"I'm trying to help."

"My name's the Doctor." He said.

"My name's the Doctor."

"Okay, can you stop?" he asked.

"Okay, can you stop?"

"I'd like you to stop." He told her.

"I'd like you to stop."

"Why's she doing that?" Hobbes asked.

Sky turned to him.

"Why's she doing that?" she repeated.

"She's gone mad." Biff said.

"She's gone mad." Sky mimicked, turning to him.

"Stop it." Val ordered.

"Stop it." She repeated, turning again.

"I said stop it!" Val yelled.

"I said stop it!"

"I don't think she can." Dee Dee said.

"I don't think she can." Sky refocused.

"All right, now stop it, this isn't funny." Hobbes said.

"All right, now stop it, this isn't funny."

"She's not being funny." Lily said as she moved to the Doctor's side.

"She's not being funny." Sky watched as she approached.

"Sh, sh, sh, all of you." The Doctor said.

"Sh, sh, sh, all of you."

"My name's Jethro!" Jethro said, looking proud of himself.

"My name's Jethro!"

"I will drop kick your ass." Lily told him, glaring.

"I will drop kick your ass."

"Why are you repeating?" the Doctor asked Sky.

"Why are you repeating?"

"What is that, learning?" he asked.

"What is that, learning?"

"Copying?"

"Copying?"

"Absorbing?"

"Absorbing?"

"The square root of pi is 1.77245385090551602729816748…" the Doctor said quickly.

"The square root of pi is 1.77245385090551602729816748…"

"…3341. Wow!" he finished.

"…3341. Wow!"

"But that's impossible." Hobbes said.

"But that's impossible."

"She couldn't repeat all that." Dee Dee said.

"She couldn't repeat all that."

"Tell her to stop!" Val said.

"Tell her to stop."

"She's driving me mad."

"She's driving me mad."

"Just make her stop!"

"Just make her stop!"

The all began talking at once, but Sky still copied ever word, tone, and rhythm.

"…stop her staring at me, shut her up…" Val said.

"…stop her staring at me, shut her up…"

"…a trick…" the hostess added.

"…a trick…"

"…that's impossible…" Dee Dee said.

"…that's impossible…"

"…I'm telling you, whatever your name is…" Biff threatened.

"…I'm telling you, whatever your name is…"

"Now, just stop it, all of…" the Doctor said.

"Now, just stop it all of…"

"…her eyes, what's wrong with her eyes?" Hobbes asked.

"…her eyes, what's wrong with her eyes?"

"…copy anything…" Jethro said.

"…copy anything…"

"…Biff don't just stand there, do something, make her stop…" Val said.

"…Biff don't just stand there, do something, make her stop…"

"…you're scaring my wife…" Biff said.

"…you're scaring my wife…"

"…Mrs. Silvestry…" the hostess tried.

"…Mrs. Silvestry…"

"Six, six, six." Jethro said, highly amused.

"Six, six, six."

"…make her stop…"

"…make her stop…"

"EVERYONE! PULL IT TOGETHER!" Lily shouted.

"EVERYONE! PULL IT TOGETHER!"

There was a high-pitched noise and they all stopped shouting as the lights came on.

"Thank you." Lily said.

"That's the back-up system." The hostess told them.

"Well!" Biff said. "That's a bit better."

"What about the rescue?" Val asked. "How long's it gonna take?"

"About 60 minutes, that's all." The hostess replied.

"Then I suggest we all calm down." Hobbes said. "This panic isn't helping. That woman is evidently in a state of…"

The Doctor and Lily weren't paying attention to him, but to Sky.

"…self-induced hysteria, we should leave her alone." Hobbes and Sky finished together.

"Doctor." Jethro said, noticing what was going on.

"I know." He replied.

Sky was no longer repeating, but talking in tandem.

"Doctor, now step back." Hobbes and Sky said together. "I think you should leave her…alone. What's she doing?"

"How can she do that?" Val/Sky asked. "She's talking with you…and with me! Oh, my God! Biff, what's she doing?"

"She's repeating…" Jethro/Sky said. "At exactly the same time."

"That's impossible." Dee Dee/Sky said.

"There's not even a delay." Hobbes said.

"Ohh man, that is weird." Jethro/Sky said.

"I think you should all be very, very quiet, have you got that?" the Doctor/Sky said.

_I don't like this. What is going on?_ Lily asked.

_I don't know. _ The Doctor replied.

_Well at least she doesn't seem capable of mimicking this._ Lily said.

_Thank God for small favors._ The Doctor said.

"How's she doing it?" Val/Sky demanded.

"Mrs. Cane, please, be quiet." The Doctor/Sky told her.

"But how can she do that?" Val/Sky asked, getting hysterical. "She's got my voice, she's got my words!"

"Sweetheart, be quiet, just…hush." Biff/Sky said. "Hush. She's doing it to me!"

"Just stop it, all of you." The Doctor/Sky said. "Stop it. Please."

He crouched down to look into Sky's eyes.

"Now then, Sky." He/Sky said. "Are you Sky? Is Sky in there? Mrs. Silvestry?" He paused. "You know exactly what I'm going to say, how are you doing that?" He paused again. "Roast Beef! Bananas! The Medusa Cascade. Bang! Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, TARDIS, Lily Carter! Shamble bobble dibble dooble. Oh, Doctor, you're so handsome. Yes I am, thank you. A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O…"

The Doctor got up.

"First she repeats." He/Sky said. "Then she catches up. What's the next stage?"

"Next stage of what?" Dee Dee/Sky asked.

"The learning process." Lily/Sky answered. "And whatever that means."

"But that's not her, is it?" Jethro/Sky asked. "That's not Mrs. Silvestry anymore."

"I don't think so, no." the Doctor/Sky said. "I think…the more we talk, the more she learns. Now, I'm all for education, but in this case…maybe not. Let's just…move back. Come on. Come with me. Everyone, get back, all of you, as far as you can."

He wrapped his arm around Lily and herded them into the galley.

"Doctor, make her stop." Val/Sky said, stopping to look at her.

"Val, come on, come to the back." The Doctor/Sky said. "Stop looking at her, come on. Jethro, you too. Everyone, come on…50 minutes. That's all we need. 50 minutes till the rescue arrives. And she's not exactly strong, look at her, all she's got is our voices."

"I can't look at her." Val/Sky said. "It's those eyes."

"We must not look at goblin me." Dee Dee/Sky said suddenly.

The others looked at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Biff/Sky demanded.

"It's a poem." The Doctor/Sky answered. "Christina Rossetti."

"'We must not look at goblin men'" Dee Dee/Sky quoted.  
"'We must not buy their fruits  
Who knows upon what soil they fed  
Their hungry, thirsty roots?'"

"Yeah, maybe not the best time." Lily/Sky said.

"She's not a goblin." Hobbes/Sky said. "Or a monster, she's just a very sick woman."

"Maybe that's why it went for her." Jethro/Sky said.

"There is no 'it'!" Hobbes/Sky insisted.

"Think about it though." Jethro/Sky said. "That knocking, it went all the way round the bus until it found her. And she was the most scared, out of all of us. Maybe that's what it needed. That's how it got in."

"For the last time!" Hobbes/Sky shouted. "Nothing can live on the surface of Midnight."

"Professor, I'm glad you've got an absolute definition of life in the universe, but perhaps the universe has got ideas of its own, mmm?" The Doctor/Sky said. "Now trust me, I've got previous! I think there might well be some…consciousness inside Mrs. Silvestry, but maybe she's still in there. And it's our job to help her."

"Well, you can help her." Biff/Sky said. "I'm not going near."

"No, I've got to stay back, and so has Lily." The Doctor/Sky said. "If she's copying us, maybe the final stage is becoming us. I don't want her becoming either of us, or things could get a lot worse."

"Oh, like you're so special." Val/Sky said.

"Actually, we are." Lily/Sky told her. "So, now that that's decided, we stay back. We wait. When the rescue ship comes, we can get her to a hospital."

"We should throw her out." The hostess/Sky said suddenly.

"I beg your pardon?" Hobbes/Sky asked, shocked.

"Can we do that?" Val/Sky asked.

"Don't be ridiculous." The Doctor/Sky said.

"That thing, whatever it is, killed the driver and the mechanic." The hostess/Sky said. "And I don't think she's finished yet."

"Are you an idiot?" Lily/Sky demanded. "She can't even move!"

"Look at her, look at her eyes!" The hostess/Sky shot back. "She killed Joe and she killed Claude, and we're next."

"She's still doing it." Biff/Sky said.

He walked back to Sky.

"Just stop it!" he/Sky yelled at her. "Stop talking! Stop it!"

"Biff, don't sweetheart!" Val/Sky said.

"But she won't stop!" He/Sky said as he walked back. "We can't throw her out, though. We can't even open the doors."

"No one is getting thrown out!" the Doctor/Sky shouted.

"Yes, we can." Dee Dee/Sky said. "Cause there's an air pressure seal. Like when you opened the cabin door, you weren't pulled out, you had a couple of seconds, cause it takes the pressure wall about six seconds to collapse. Well six seconds exactly. That's enough time to throw someone out."

"Thanks, Dee Dee." The Doctor/Sky said sarcastically. "Just what we needed."

"Would it kill her, outside?" Val/Sky asked.

_Doctor, we're losing control._ Lily said.

"I don't know, but she's got a body now." Dee Dee/Sky answered. "It would certainly kill the physical form."

"No one is killing anyone!" the Doctor/Sky shouted.

"I wouldn't risk the cabin door twice, but we've got that one." The hostess/Sky said, pointing to the fire exit. "All we need to do is grab hold of her and throw her out."

"Now, listen, all of you." The Doctor/Sky ordered. "For all we know, that's a brand new life form over there. And if it's come inside to discover us, then what's it found? This little bunch of humans, what d'you amount to? A murder? Cause this where you decide. You decide who you are. Could you actually murder her? Any of you? Really? Or are you better than that?"

A/N: Oh. My. God. Remember when I complained about how much work Partners in Crime was? This is like five thousand times worse. So is the whole Sky mimicking and then talking with thing clear? Let me know.

Abbey


	47. Midnight: Sacrifice of Love

Disclaimer: You people make no sense. Of course the Doctor is mine.

Ch. 47:

For a few seconds, they all looked at each other.

"I'd do it." The hostess/Sky said finally.

"So would I." Biff/Sky said.

"And me." Val/Sky agreed.

"I think we should." Dee Dee/Sky added.

"What?" the Doctor/Sky demanded.

"I want her out." Dee Dee/Sky said.

"You can't say that!" the Doctor/Sky said.

"I'm sorry, but you said it yourself, Doctor." Dee Dee/Sky replied. "She is growing in strength."

"He didn't say that!" Lily/Sky said.

"I want to go home." Dee Dee/Sky said. "I'm sorry. I want to be safe."

"You'll be safe, any minute now." The Doctor/Sky said. "The rescue truck is on its way."

"But what happens then, Doctor?" the hostess/Sky asked. "If it takes that thing back to the Leisure Palace, if that thing reaches civilization, what if it spreads?"

"It won't." Lily/Sky said viciously. "The Doctor and I will be there to contain it."

"You haven't done much so far!" Val/Sky accused.

Lily stalked towards her.

"Don't push me." She/Sky said. "You do not want to get on my bad side. And the quickest way to do that is cold blooded murder. Until she does something to actually threaten one of us, I will not let you harm her."

Lily stood there, facing down the others until the Doctor laid his hand on her arm.

"Lily." He/Sky said gently.

She let him pull her back, but she kept glaring at them.

"Now, hang on." Hobbes/Sky said. "I think, perhaps we're all going a little bit too far."

"At last!" the Doctor/Sky said. "Thank you."

"Two people are dead!" the hostess/Sky said.

"And you want to make it a third!" Lily/Sky yelled. "Or are you conveniently forgetting that when you kill that thing, you're killing Sky too?"

"Jethro." The Doctor/Sky called. "What d'you say?"

"I'm not killing anyone." Jethro/Sky said.

"Thank you." The Doctor/Sky replied.

"He's just a boy!" Val/Sky said.

"What, so I don't get a vote?" Jethro/Sky demanded.

"There isn't a vote, it's not happening!" the Doctor/Sky shouted. "Ever. If you try to throw her out that door, you'll have to get past me first."

For a moment, the rest of them stared at him.

"Ok." The hostess/Sky said.

"Fine by me." Biff/Sky agreed.

Lily put herself between them.

"Try to touch him and I will break your arm." Lily/Sky said in a deadly voice. "Try me. I've destroyed much worse things them a few puny humans. You have no idea what you're dealing with."

"I think I can take one little girl." Biff/Sky scoffed.

"Who put you two in charge, anyway?" Val/Sky demanded.

"I'm sorry, but…" Hobbes/Sky said. "You're a Doctor of what, exactly?"

"They weren't even booked in." the hostess/Sky said. "Rest of you, tickets in advance. They just turned up out of the blue."

"Where from?" Val/Sky demanded.

"We're just…travelling." The Doctor/Sky said. "We're travelers, that's all."

"Like an immigrant?" Val/Sky asked.

"Who were you talking to?" the hostess/Sky demanded. "Before you got on board, you were talking to someone, who was that?"

"It was me." Lily sneered. "He was calling me and our friend Donna, trying to convince us to come with him. She was smart. She didn't get on a bus full of moronic humans."

"He hasn't even told us his name." Val/Sky pointed out.

"Thing is, Doctor, you've been loving this." Jethro/Sky said.

"Oh, Jethro, not you." The Doctor/Sky said sadly.

"No, but ever since all the trouble started, you two have been loving it." He/Sky continued.

"It has to be said." Hobbes/Sky said. "You do seem to have a certain…glee."

"He's a curious moron." Lily/Sky said. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"I'm interested, yes, I can't help it." The Doctor/Sky said. "Cause whatever's inside her, it's brand new, and that's fascinating!"

"What, you want this to happen?" Val/Sky demaned.

"No!" the Doctor/Sky shouted.

"And you were talking to her, all on your own, while your girlfriend slept, before all the trouble." Biff/Sky said. "Right at the front, you were talking to that Sky woman, the two of you together, I saw you."

"We all did!" Val/Sky said.

"And you went into the cabin!" the hostess/Sky pointed out.

"What were you saying to her?" Biff/Sky demanded.

"I was just talking!" the Doctor/Sky said. "She was asking how Lily could sleep in those seats."

"Speaking of Lily, what are you doing with a girl so much younger than you?" Jethro/Sky demanded.

"Why you little-" Lily/Sky growled.

"And you both called us humans like you're not one of us!" Jethro/Sky accused.

"They did!" Val/Sky agreed. "That's what they said!"

"And the wiring." The hostess/Sky said. "He went into that panel and opened up the wiring."

"That was after!" the Doctor/Sky protested.

"But how did you know what to do?" Biff/Sky demanded.

"Because I'm clever!" the Doctor/Sky shouted.

They were silent.

_Uh oh._ Lily murmured.

"I see." Hobbes/Sky said. "That makes things clear."

"And what are we, then?" Biff/Sky demanded. "Idiots?"

"Yes." Lily/Sky snarled.

"That's not what I meant." The Doctor/Sky said, laying a hand on Lily's shoulder.

"If you're clever then what are we?" Dee Dee/Sky demanded.

"You've been looking down on us from the moment we walked in." Val/Sky said.

"Even if he goes, he's practically volunteered." The hostess/Sky said.

"Again I say, over my dead body." Lily/Sky said. "And I should warn you, I don't die easy. So if you've got less than a tactical missile over there, you. are. not. touching. him."

"Will you just listen to yourselves, please?" the Doctor/Sky asked.

"What d'you mean-we throw him out as well?" Biff/Sky asked.

"If we have to." The hostess/Sky agreed.

"Look, just…" the Doctor/Sky said. "Right, sorry, yes, hold on, just…I know, you're scared, and so am I, look at me, I am. My mate is here and she's in danger and I'm terrified, but we have all got to calm down and cool off and think."

"Perhaps you could tell us your name." Hobbes/Sky said.

"What does it matter?" The Doctor/Sky demanded.

"Then tell us." The hostess/Sky said.

"He doesn't answer to you." Lily/Sky hissed.

"John Smith." The Doctor/Sky answered.

"Your real name." Hobbes/Sky said.

"It is his real name." Lily/Sky told them.

"They're lying, look at them." Biff/Sky said. "Look at their faces."

"His eyes are the same as hers." Val/Sky said.

"Why won't you tell us?" Jethro/Sky demanded.

"He's been lying to us, right from the start!" Val/Sky said. "They both have."

"No one's called John Smith!" Biff/Sky said. "Come off it!"

They all started talking at once again.

"Now listen to me." The Doctor/Sky said. "Listen to me right now! Because you need me, all of you, if we're gonna get out of this, then you need me."

"So you keep saying!" Hobbes said. "You've been repeating yourself more than her."

"If anyone's in charge, it should be the Professor." Val said. "He's the expert!"

"Mum, stop, just look…"Jethro said.

"You keep out of this, Jethro." Biff said.

"Look at her!" he insisted.

"She's stopped…" Dee Dee said.

They all turned to look at Sky, who was sitting motionless.

"When did she…?" the Doctor/Sky said. "No, she hasn't, she's still doing it."

"She looks the same to me…" Val said. "No, she's stopped! Look, I'm talking, and she's not!"

"What about me, is she…?" Biff asked. "Look! Look at that! She's not doing me, she's let me go!"

"Mrs. Silvestry?" the hostess said. "Nor me! Nothing!"

"Sky?" the Doctor/Sky asked. "What are you doing?"

"She's still doing him!" Dee Dee said.

"Shut up." Lily growled.

"Doctor, it's you." Hobbes said. "She's only copying you."

"Why me?" the Doctor/Sky asked. "Why are you doing this?"

"She won't leave him alone!" Dee Dee said.

"D'you see?" Val said. "I said so, she's with him."

"I said shut up!" Lily yelled.

"They're together!" Biff said.

"How d'you explain it, Doctor?" Hobbes demanded. "If you're so clever."

Lily grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into a wall.

"I said shut up." She said in a low menacing voice.

"Lily, let him go." The Doctor/Sky said.

Lily let him drop reluctantly.

"You're insane." Hobbes told her.

"You're just finally getting it." Lily growled. "There is nothing I won't do to protect him short of snapping all your necks, so back off."

"I don't know how to explain it." The Doctor said, answering Hobbes question while giving Lily a look. "Sky, stop it. I said stop it. Just stop it!"

He walked closer to Sky.

"Look at the two of them!" Val said.

The Doctor crouched down to look in Sky's eyes.

"Doctor." Lily begged. "Please, just leave her alone."

"Mrs. Silvestry." He/Sky said. "I'm trying to understand. You've captured my speech, what for? What d'you need? You need my voice in particular. The cleverest voice in the room. You could have gone for Lily. You could have gone for the most powerful, but you chose mine. Why? Cause I'm the only one who can help? Ohh, I'd love that to be true. But your eyes. They're saying something else. Listen to me. Whatever you want, if it's life, or form, or consciousness, or voice, you don't have to steal it. You can find it without hurting anyone. And I'll help you. That's a promise. So. What d'you think?"

"Do we have a deal?" Sky asked.

"Do we have a deal?" the Doctor repeated.

The rest stood in shock, realizing what had just happened.

"Hold on, did she…?" Dee Dee asked.

"She spoke first." Jethro said.

"She can't have." Val said.

"She did!" Hobbes said.

"She spoke first!" Jethro said.

"Oh, look at that, I'm ahead of you." Sky said.

"Oh, look at that, I'm ahead of you." The Doctor repeated.

Before anyone could stop her, Lily slammed Sky against the back of the bus.

"Let him go." She growled.

"I don't know what you mean." Sky said.

"I don't know what you mean."

Lily hauled out and landed a right hook across Sky's face.

"Let. Him. Go." She demanded, shaking the woman.

"It's moved." Sky said.

"It's moved."

"It's letting me go." She continued.

"It's letting me go."

Lily punched her again before slamming her into the wall again.

"Then how come I can hear him screaming inside my head, huh?" she demanded.

Suddenly, Biff was pulling her off Sky as the other moved her away. Lily screamed and tried to claw her way out of Biff's arms, but he held her tight.

"Mrs. Silvestry?" Hobbes asked as Lily screamed. "Is that you?"

"Yes, yes, it's me." She replied.

"Yes, yes, it's me."

"I'm coming back, listen." She told them.

"I'm coming back…" the Doctor repeated.

"It's me!" she said.

"…listen. It's me!"

Biff threw Lily to the ground as she bit his arm. She crawled to the Doctor and took his face between her hands.

"I can hear you." She told him, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I know your there. I'll fix this, I promise."

"It's passed into the Doctor." Jethro said. "It's transferred. Whatever it is, it's gone inside him."

"No, that's not what happened." Dee Dee protested.

"But look at her!" Val said.

"Look at me." Sky said. "I can move…"

"Look at me…" the Doctor repeated while Lily sobbed.

"I can feel again…" Sky continued.

"I can move…" the Doctor repeated. "I can feel again…"

"I'm coming back to life…" Sky said.

"I'm coming back to life…"

"And look at him, he can't move." Sky said.

"And look at him, he can't move."

With a feral snarl, Lily lept at her, but Jethro blocked her, throwing her back down.

"Help me." Sky said.

"Help me." The Doctor begged.

They quickly moved Sky back to the galley as Lily crawled back to the Doctor, holding him as she sobbed.

"Oh, thank you." Sky said.

"Oh, thank you."

"They've completely separated." Jethro said.

"It's in him, d'you see?" Biff said. "I said it was him all the time."

"She's free!" Val said. "She's been saved!"

"Oh, it was so cold." Sky said.

"Oh, it was so cold."

"I couldn't breathe." Sky continued.

"I couldn't breathe."

"I'm sorry." Sky told them.

"I'm sorry."

"I've got you." They heard Lily murmur to the Doctor. "I'll save you. Everything's going to be alright."

"I must've scared you so much." Sky said.

"I must've scared you so much." The Doctor repeated.

"No, no, it's all right." Val said, going to hug her. "I've got you, oh, there you are my love, it's gone, everything's all right now."

"I wouldn't touch her." Dee Dee said.

"But it's gone." Biff said. "She's clean, it passed into him."

"That's not what happened." Dee Dee protested.

"Thank you for your opinion, Dee, but clearly, Mrs. Silvestry has been released." Hobbes said dismissively.

"No…" Dee Dee said.

"Just leave her alone!" Val yelled. "She's safe, isn't she? Jethro? It's let her go, hasn't it?"

"Think so, yeah." Jethro replied. "Looks like it. Professor?"

"I'd say, from observation…" Hobbes agreed. "The Doctor can't move, and when she was possessed, she couldn't move, so…"

"Well, there we are then!" Biff said. "Now the only problem we've got is this Doctor and his girl."

"It's inside his head." Sky said.

"It's inside his head."

"It killed the driver." She told them.

"It killed the driver."

"And the mechanic."

"And the mechanic."

"And now it wants us." She continued.

"And now it wants us."

"I said so!" Val exclaimed.

"He's waited so long." Sky told them.

"He's waited so long."

"In the dark. And the cold."

"In the dark. And the cold."

"And the diamonds."

"And the diamonds."

"Until you came."

"Until you came."

"Bodies so hot."

"Bodies so hot."

"With blood."

"With blood."

"And pain."

"And pain."

"Stop, oh my god, make him stop!" Val said. "Someone make him stop!"

"But she's saying it!" Dee Dee protested.

"And you can shut up!" Val shouted at her.

"But it's not him." She continued. "It's her, he's just repeating!"

"But that's what the thing does, it repeats!" Biff said.

"Just let her talk!" the hostess said.

"What do you know?" Biff demanded. "Fat lot of good you've been!"

"Just let her explain." The hostess insisted.

"I think…I mean, from what I've see…" Dee Dee said. "It repeats, then it synchronizes, then it goes on to the next stage and that's exactly what the Doctor said would happen!"

"What, and you're on his side?" Biff demanded.

"No!" she replied.

"The voice is the thing!" Jethro said.

"And she's the voice!" Dee Dee shot back. "She stole it! Look at her! It's not possessing him, it's draining him!"

"She's got his voice…" the hostess agreed.

"But that's not true, cause it can't." Val said. "Because I saw it pass into him. I saw it with my own eyes!"

"So did I!" Biff agreed.

"You didn't!" Dee Dee said.

"I went from her, to him." Val said stubbornly. "You saw it, didn't you?"

"I don't know." Jethro said.

"Oh, don't be stupid, Jethro, of course you did!" she told him.

"I suppose…" he said. "He was right next to her."

"Everyone saw it, everyone!" Biff said.

"You didn't." Dee Dee told them. "You're just making it up! I know what I saw, and I saw her stealing his voice."

"She's as bad as him." Val said. "Someone shut her up!"

"I think you should be quiet, Dee." Hobbes said.

"Well, I'm only saying…" Dee Dee said.

"And that's an order!" Hobbes interrupted. "You're making a fool of yourself! Pretending you're an expert in mechanics and hydraulic, when I can tell you, you are nothing more than average, at best! Now shut up!"

"All of you shut up." Came Lily's voice.

They all stopped talking and turn to see her kneeling in front of the still Doctor, her head bowed.

"The human race." She said, not looking up. "A race of sniveling morons. Maybe I chose the wrong side. Maybe instead of helping the Doctor save you countless times, I should have helped my brother eradicate you. At least them I wouldn't have to put up with your stupidity."

"Now you see here-" Biff said.

Her head shot up and he broke off when they saw her shinning gold eyes.

"I told you I would protect him no matter what." She said, her voice taking on an odd sound as if many were talking. "I told you not to fuck with me."

She stood up and faced Sky.

"You will listen to me, creature." She commanded and Sky back away slightly. "I am the Dark Phoenix, Vessel of the Vortex, and Protector of the Doctor. You should have chosen me as your voice. He might have let you live. Too bad."

She raised her hand and a gold light rolled away from her, slamming Sky into the fire exit.

"You will let him go, do you understand, creature?" The Dark Phoenix asked calmly.

Biff tried to rush her, but when she looked at him, her eyes flashed and he went flying.

"Do not interfere." She told the others before turning back to Sky.

"I am older than you could possibly imagine." She told the creature. "Do not think that you can break my hold. Now, you will let him go or I will end you."

"You cannot harm me." Sky growled.

"You cannot harm me."

Lily squeezed her hand and Sky thrashed as the power holding her squeezed her.

"Kill me and you kill him." Sky told her.

"Kill me and you kill him."

"Either way, I lose him." Lily replied. "So what is my incentive for keeping you alive?"

"I will never release him." Sky snarled.

"I will never release him."

"Then you are of no further use." Lily said.

The door slid open and all but Lily hid their faces as Sky when flying out. Six seconds later, the bulkhead sealed itself and the Dark Phoenix turned back.

The Dark Phoenix kneeled in front the Doctor and the others gave them a wide berth.

"It's gone." The Doctor said. "It's gone, it's gone, it's gone."

"I know." She told him, laying a hand on his cheek.

He looked at her.

"Lily?" he asked weakly.

"No, my love." She said. "Lily used the last of her strength to call me forth. She sleeps deep inside. This body is badly damaged. It will not survive for long once I let it go. A week tops. She has sacrificed herself for you."

"She shouldn't have." The Doctor said, tears falling.

The Dark Phoenix smiled.

"She loves you, my Doctor." She said. "Just as I do. I will strengthen this body as much as I can. Spend what time you can together. Let her go to her next journey, whatever it may be, knowing she was loved."

"If we open the watch, will it save her?" he asked the being.

She smiled softly.

"I do not know." She replied. "For all our sakes, I hope so. When I let go, she will be asleep. Do not be afraid, she will wake again in her own time."

"Thank you." He said.

She nodded and closed her eyes. Lily fell forward and the Doctor caught her, moving her so her head was lying in his lap.

"I knew it wasn't you." Val said weakly. "I knew it was her."

* * *

20 minutes later…

The Doctor was still sitting with Lily in his lap, gently stroking her black hair, while the others sat spread out through the cabin.

"Repeat, Cursader 50," came over the intercom, "rescue vehicle coming alongside in three minutes, door-seals set to automatic. Prepare for boarding, repeat, prepare for boarding."

"Just a little while longer." They heard the Doctor murmur to Lily. "I'll keep you safe, Lily-girl."

The others looked away in shame.

* * *

Donna stood waiting for them as they walked off the bus. Her hands flew to her mouth as she watched the Doctor carry a still unconscious Lily off.

He set her down on a bench and hugged Donna tightly, before picking Lily back up and walking off.

* * *

"What d'you think it was?" Donna asked.

The Doctor glanced over at the sleeping Lily. She had woken up briefly an hour ago.

"No idea." He replied.

"D'you think it's still out there?" she asked.

The Doctor didn't answer.

"Well, you'd better tell 'em." Donna said. "This lot."

"Yeah." He agreed. "They can build a Leisure Palace somewhere else. Let this planet keep on turning, round an Xtonic star. In silence."

"Can't imagine you without a voice." Donna said.

"Molto bene." The Doctor said with a weak smile.

"Molto bene!" Donna said, teasing gently.

"Don't." came Lily's voice.

They looked over to see her lying on her side, looking at them.

"Please, just don't." she said softly. "Don't do that."

"Alright." Donna said softly.

"Can we please go home now?" Lily asked. "I think I've had enough vacation."

"Yeah." The Doctor replied. "Let's go home."

A/N: Oh thank you dear sweet lord, that is over. I think my brain might have collapsed and I know my fingers are stiffer than they were. So you better let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	48. Last Days and Long Goodbyes

Disclaimer: I'm done. I'm just taking the Doctor. So there.

Ch. 48:

For the next day, Lily slept on and off, and the Doctor stayed by her side.

"How bad is it?" Donna asked as she stood in the door way to their room.

"Her heart and lungs are badly damaged." The Doctor told her, moving to stand with her in the door. "Her kidneys are failing, and those are just the top things. There are tons of other things going wrong. The only good thing is that whatever the Dark Phoenix did, it strengthened her slightly. But I don't know how much longer she can keep it up."

"The watch still won't open?" Donna asked.

"It just keeps telling her that it isn't time." The Doctor sighed.

"Doctor?" Lily called.

He quickly walked over to the bed and sat down.

"Hey, love." He said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay." She replied. "Do I even want to know how many drugs you've given me? If the weird shapes I'm seeing are any indicator, it's quite a bit."

He chuckled softly.

"Not really." He told her.

She nodded.

"Did I hear Donna?" she asked.

The Doctor turned slightly and motioned their friend forward.

"Hey there." Donna said as she sat down on the opposite side from the Doctor.

"Everyone's so sad." Lily said. "That's so boring."

"Well, I'm so sorry for you." Donna told her.

"You know I sat with you as you died once." Lily said, sounding out of it.

Donna exchanged a distraught look with the Doctor.

"You tried to make me feel better even then." Lily continued, closing her eyes. "You always try to make me feel better."

"Well that's what friends are for." Donna told her, a tear slipping down her face.

Lily was already asleep again.

The Doctor got up and motioned Donna to follow him. When they got outside the door, the Doctor closed the door and Donna burst into tears. The Doctor pulled her to him and held her as she cried for her friend. When she finally pulled away, she wiped off her face and looked at him.

"What do we do?" she asked. "Do we just wait, or…?"

"I want to let her get the drugs out of her system." The Doctor said. "I just gave them to her so she could get through the worst of the after pain. When they're out of her system she should be able to function like normal as long as she's careful. She told me that she didn't want just sit and wait around to die, so I want to see if we can get her strong enough to go on one more trip, then I'll take her to Earth. We'll go see Jack. That'll make her happy."

"How long before the drugs leave her system?" Donna asked.

"Another hour, hour and a half." The Doctor replied.

"Where are we going to go?" she asked.

"I thought we'd find someplace to go shopping." The Doctor said. "That should make her happy."

"Ah, Lily's great passion, shopping." Donna said, smiling softly.

"Yeah." The Doctor said. "When she wakes up, would you mind helping her get ready?"

"Sure." Donna replied.

"I'm going to go pick a place to go." He told her. "Would mind staying?"

"No problem." She replied.

The Doctor nodded and opened the door again. He walked to the bed and saw that Lily had returned to the land of the conscious.

"Hey." He said, sitting down. "The drugs are leaving your system, so I thought you might want to go shopping."

"You're volunteering to go shopping with me?" she asked. "Now I know I'm dying."

He chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah." He said. "While I pick a place, Donna's gonna stay with you and help you get ready."

"Okay." She said.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"I love you." He told her softly.

"I love you, too." She told him.

He smiled and got up and exchanged places with Donna before leaving the room.

"You know," Donna said, sitting next to her, "this whole dying thing really isn't good for your complexion. You're much too pale."

"Says the British red head." Lily groused.

"That should tell you something." Donna shot back.

Lily stuck her tongue out at her.

"Help me up." She ordered.

Donna helped her so she was sitting cross legged in the bed.

"This totally blows." Lily said.

"What?" Donna asked.

"If I'm not around, who's going to enforce the monthly free day?" she asked. "I'm mean, most companions just let him walk all over them. You have to promise that you'll make him have a free day once a month."

"I promise." Donna said, laughing slightly. "That's your biggest worry?"

"Yep." Lily replied. "Cause I know…I know you'll take care of him."

The two women were silent.

"I will." Donna said finally. "I won't let anything happen to him."

"Thanks." Lily said, smiling softly.

She laid her head on her friend's shoulder.

"I love you, Donna." Lily told her.

She smiled sadly.

"I love you, too, Lils." Donna replied.

_Theta says to tell you that you should get ready. _The TARDIS told her.

_Why didn't he tell me himself?_ Lily asked.

_He says it's a surprise and he doesn't want to give it away._

_Tell him he's a dork._

_Oh, I believe he knows._

"What's up?" Donna asked.

"The TARDIS says that the Doctor says we should get ready." Lily replied.

"Why didn't the Doctor just tell you?" Donna asked, confused.

"It's a surprise!" Lily said sarcastically.

Donna laughed.

"Come on." She said, taking her friend's hand and helping her up.

Lily put her feet on the ground and wobbled, but managed to stay up right.

"Someday, I'm going to have to explain to the Doctor that just because he calls himself the Doctor, it doesn't mean that he's allowed to pump me full of drugs." Lily complained.

"Come on, old lady." Donna said, leading her to the closet. "Let's get you ready."

They got Lily out of her pajamas and into a pair of jeans, boots, and a t-shirt. By the time she pulled on her jacket, she was feeling not quite like her old self, but closer to it.

"Come on." She said, walking to the door. "Let's go see what the great and powerful Time Lord has come up with."

They made their way up to the control room and found the Doctor there, looking very proud of himself.

"Where are we going?" Lily asked.

"Nope, still a surprise." He replied.

"You're a dork." She told him.

"Yeah, the TARDIS already relayed your message." He replied, kissing her cheek as he moved around her. "You might want to sit down."

"Oh, great." Lily said, moving to the jumpseat. "Instead of learning to drive better, he's just learned to issue warnings. Next we're going to get waivers we have to sign."

He just ignored her as he danced around the console.

"Here we go." He said, flipping a switch.

The room spun and they were on their way.

A/N: Into the home stretch we go. Also we now have more reviews than Never Gonna Be Alone! How awesome is that? So let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	49. Turn Left: Change of Direction

Disclaimer: As long as you don't sue me, I'll let you pretend to own Doctor Who.

Ch. 49:

The Doctor, Lily, and Donna walked down a narrow, crowded alley, filled with vendors' stalls. The Doctor had his arm around Lily and they walked along, laughing, with drinks in their hands. Lily looked weak, but happy.

"You're going to love this." He told them. "One, two, three-"

They each took a swig and were left with foamy moustaches, making Lily and Donna laugh.

"Ah!" the Doctor said appreciatively.

"It's lovely!" Donna agreed.

They continued down the alley and the Doctor and Lily stopped to look at something, while Donna kept moving.

"You want to buy Shukina?" a seller asked her.

She glanced back at the Doctor and Lily, who were looking at some kind of fruit with long spikes.

"Or Peshwami?" the seller continued. "Most beautiful Peshwami in all of Shan Shen."

Donna glanced back at her friends who were now talking to the seller of the strange fruit.

"No thanks." She told the man.

She walked a little further and was stopped by a fortune teller.

"Tell your fortune, lady?" she called.

Donna turned to look at her.

"Your future predicted, your life foretold." The woman continued.

"Ah, no thanks." Donna replied.

"Don't you want to know if you're going to be happy?" the woman asked.

"I'm fine right now, thanks." Donna said, smiling slightly.

"You've got red hair." The woman said. "Reading's free for red hair."

"All right, then." Donna said, laughing.

The fortune teller stood back, allowing Donna in and after a quick look around, she followed her in.

* * *

Donna sat across the table from the woman. The fortune teller reached out and took her hand, caressing one of Donna's palms with a polished fingernail.

"You're fascinating." She told her. "Oh no, but you're good. I can see…a man. And a woman."

Donna gave a half laugh.

"The most remarkable man and woman." The woman continued. "How did you meet them?"

"You're supposed to tell me." Donna replied.

"I see the future." The woman told her. "Tell me the past. When did your lived cross?"

"It's sort of complicated." Donna said. "I ended up in their spaceship on my wedding day."

There was a clicking noise, but Donna didn't notice it. The fortune teller, on the other hand, did and she narrowed her eyes.

"But what led you to that meeting?" the woman asked.

"All sorts of things." Donna replied.

She thought about it for a moment.

"But my job, I suppose." She said finally. "I was on Earth…this planet called Earth, miles away. But I had this job as a temp. I was a secretary at this place called H.C. Clements."

She gave a strange lurch.

"_H.C. Clements." Donna answered the phone._

_She was sitting at her desk, looking around-_

And she was back in the tent.

She exhaled, slightly shaken.

"Sorry." She said.

The fortune teller caressed her palm again.

"It's the incense." She told her. "Just er- breath deep."

Donna didn't see the thing creeping up on her, clicking as it went.

"This job of yours." The woman continued. "What choices led you there?"

"There was a choice…" Donna said. "Six months before. The agency offered me this contract with H.C. Clements. But there was this other job. My mum knew this man…"

_Donna and Sylvia walked down from their house to the car._

"_Jival, he's called." Sylvia said. "Jival Chowdry?"_

_They got in the car._

"_He runs that little photocopy business." Sylvia continued. "And he needs a secretary."_

"_I've-got-a job." Donna told her, with the air of someone who has been nagged about this before._

"_As a temp." Sylvia said dismissively. "This is permanent. It's twenty thousand a year, Donna."_

"_H.C. Clements is in the city." Donna said, clicking her seat belt. "It's nice. It's posh. So, stop it."_

_Donna turned the key in the ignition._

"Your life could have gone one way or the other." The fortune teller said, bringing her back to the tent. "What made you decide?"

"I just did." Donna replied.

The thing was getting closer.

"But when was the moment?" the woman pushed. "When did you choose?"

_A large blue van drove past as Donna and her mother sat at the crossroad._

"_It won't take long, just turn right." Sylvia said. "We'll pop in and see Mr. Chowdry. Suzette can introduce you."_

"_I'm going left." Donna told her, fed up. "If you don't like it, get out and walk."_

"_If you turn right, you'll have a career." Sylvia insisted. "Not just filling in."_

"_You think I'm so useless." Donna said, raising her voice._

"_I know why you want a job with H.C. Clements, lady." Sylvia replied mockingly. "Because you think you'll meet a man with lots of money, and your whole life will change. Well, let me tell you, sweetheart: city executives don't need temps, except for practice."_

"_Yeah." Donna said. "Well, they haven't met me."_

_She turned left._

"You turned left." The woman said. "But what if you turned right? What then?"

"Let go of my hands." Donna said, shaken up.

"What if it changes?" the woman pushed. "What if you go right? What if you could still go right?"

The thing closed in on Donna. In her mind, all she could see were the blinking arrows, flashing in quick succession-

"Stop it." Donna demanded, scared.

The thing darted up her back and she froze.

"What's that?" she whispered.

_Click, click_

"What's on my back?" she demanded.

The woman didn't answer, just fixed her with an intense, greedy stare.

"What is it?" Donna demanded. "What-what's on my back?"

A black, spindly something came over her shoulder.

"Make the choice again, Donna Noble, and change your mind." The woman said viciously. "Turn right."

"I'm turning…" Donna whispered, entranced.

"Turn right." The woman told her. "Turn right."

The thing moved further over her shoulder.

"Turn right." The woman insisted.

"_Let me tell you sweetheart:" Sylvia said, "city executives don't need temps, except for practice."_

"_Yeah." Donna said. "S'pose you're right."_

"Turn right and never meet that man and woman." The fortune teller said. "Turn right and change the world!"

_Donna turned right._

* * *

It was a Christmas party, and the pub was full. Donna elbowed her way through the singing crowd with a tray full of drinks.

"Get out of the way." She said. "Get out of the way!"

She finally made it back to the table full of her friends and set the tray down.

"There we are!" she said. "Feed at the trough."

"Mooky says let's go to the Boardwalk." Veena said. "It's two for the price of one."

"Christmas Eve?" Donna replied. "It'll be heaving."

"Exactly!" Mooky told her. "Get in and grab 'em."

They all laughed.

"Hey, that's the second round of drinks you've bought." Veena told Donna. "It was my turn!"

"I can afford it." Donna said. "Promotion. You are talking to Jival Chowdry's personal assistant, I'll have you know. Capital P, capital A, twenty-three-thousand pounds per annum, merci beaucoup!"

"Here's to Mr. Chowdry!" Veena said, raising her glass.

"Mr. Chowdry!" all of them but Alice called.

"She gets all the luck." Mooky complained.

Donna noticed Alice hadn't joined in the toast. She seemed to be staring at her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" she asked her. "What is it?"

"Sorry?" Alice asked, bewildered.

"Has someone spilled a drink on me?" Donna asked her, straining to look at her own shoulder. "Why do you keep looking at my shoulder? What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Alice replied in a whisper, wide eyed.

"Oh, don't tell me you're getting all spooky again." Donna told her. "It was bad enough when you saw the ghost of Earl Mountbatten at the Boat Show. What are you looking at? What is it?"

"It' like…" Alice whispered. "It's like there's something I can't see!"

Donna stared at her, unsettled.

"Shut up, all of you!" a man from the door called. "Come and see! Just look at the sky!"

Every stopped chattering and looked at him.

"It's a star!" he told them. "A Christmas Star!"

"Come on, then." Veena said as they all got up.

Donna and her friends crowded outside in the street with everyone else and looked up at the sky.

"What the hell is that?" Mooky asked.

"Ken Livingston, that's what." Veena said, irritated. "Spending our money on decorations."

What appeared to be a large star glided over the rooftops with a low hum.

"I mean, how much did that cost?" Veena continued.

"Don't be so stupid, it's flying!" Mooky told her. "It's really flying!"

They hurried around the corner to keep it in sight.

"That's not a star." Donna said. "That's a web. It's heading east…the middle of the city."

There was a clicking noise.

Everyone watched as the web came to a standstill above a busy street and began shooting beams of electricity at the street. Everyone ran. Everyone but Donna, who was staring at the web, and Alice, who was staring at Donna back.

There was another clicking noise.

Donna suddenly became aware of Alice.

"Alice." She said, sounding slightly scared. "There's a great big web-star thing shooting at people, and you're looking at me?"

"There's something on your back." Alice said in quiet terror.

She ran off.

Donna hesitated for a moment before running towards the web.

"Donna!" Veena shouted after her. "Where are you going? You're going to get yourself killed! Donna!"

Donna ignored her and kept running as Mooky pulled Veena in the opposite direction.

* * *

Donna arrived in the city center in time to see a tank fire on the star. Others did likewise and the web burst into flames and shattered.

"Everyone stay back." A soldier was saying as she ran up. "The Thames has been closed. Return to your homes."

Donna joined the crowd, looking around.

"Keep away from the river." The soldier continued. "And that's an order."

Donna moved around some cars so she was in hearing range as a UNIT soldier stood talking to his captain on a walkie-talkie.

"Trap 1 to Greyhound 15: What is your report? Over." The captain's voice called.

"From the evidence, I'd say he managed to stop the creature." The soldier replied. "Some sort of red spider. Blew up the base underneath the barrier, flooded the whole thing. Over."

"And where is he now? Over." The captain asked.

"We found two bodies, sir. A man and a woman. Over." The soldier replied.

Donna watched as two bodies on stretchers were carried to an ambulance.

"Is it him? Over." The captain asked.

"I think so." The soldier replied. "They just didn't make it out in time."

Donna could see that the body that looked like it was the woman's had a chain, like from a pocket watch, hanging down the side from the body, while she could see a arm in a pinstriped suit fall uselessly over the side of the stretcher. The hand dropped a tube with a blue light on the top.

"The Doctor is dead." The soldier continued. "Must have happened too fast for him to regenerate."

"Escort the ambulance back to UNIT base." The captain ordered.

The ambulance doors shut and Donna slowly walked away from the scene, only to be almost knocked over by a young blonde woman and an older man in a black leather jacket.

"What happened?" the woman asked breathlessly. "What did they find?"

She turned to Donna.

"Sorry, did they find someone?" she asked her.

"I don't know." Donna replied. "Um, a woman and a bloke called the Doctor or something."

"Well, where are they?" the woman asked, looking around.

"They took them away." Donna replied. "They're dead."

The woman stared at her while the man closed his eyes, looking like he was in pain.

"I'm sorry." Donna continued. "Did you know them?"

The woman looked away.

"I mean…they didn't say his name." Donna said. "It could be any doctor."

"He was supposed to protect her." The man growled. "Not get her killed. If I had wanted that, I could've kept her with me."

"I'm sure he did the best he could." The woman growled back. "It's not his fault."

The woman closed her eyes, trying to regain her composure.

"We came so far." She whispered.

"It could be anyone." Donna said, touching the woman's arm.

She looked at Donna as if she had only just seen her.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Donna." She replied. "And you?"

The woman seemed to be distracted by something on Donna's shoulder.

"We were just…passing by." The man said, pulling the woman back slightly. "We shouldn't ever be here. This is…wrong. It's wrong."

"Sorry." The woman said. "What was it? Donna what?"

"Why do you keep looking at my back?" Donna demanded.

"I'm not." The woman said, quickly averting her eyes.

"Yes, you are." Donna said angrily. "You keep looking behind me. You're doing it now."

She strained to see her own back.

"What is it?" she asked, raising her voice. "What's there? Has someone put something on my back?"

She turned back around and the man and woman were gone. Donna looked around for a moment before turning and walking off.

* * *

"You can't sack me!" Donna said, stamping her foot. "I'm your personal assistant!"

"You don't have to make a scene." Chowdry said as they stood in the middle of the office. "Just come downstairs and we can have a little talk."

"Oh, I'll make a scene, all right." Donna shot back. "Right in front of a tribunal-and the first thing I'm going to say is 'wandering hands'!"

"Now, come on Donna." He said. "You know what it's been like for the past few months, ever since that Christmas thing! Half my contracts were on the other side of the river and the Thames is still closed off. Look, I can't deliver. I'm losing a fortune."

"Well, sack one of this lot!" Donna told him. "Sack Cliff! He just sits there! Don't know what he does all day-sorry Cliff."

She turned to Cliff.

"Actually, I'm not sorry." She told him. "What DO you do all day?"

Suddenly the whole office shook.

"What the hell?" Chowdry said, running to the window.

All the staff ran to the window, except Donna who just shook her letter opener with an irritated sigh.

"It's like an earthquake!" Chowdry said.

They all looked at a strange black cloud that had settled over a nearby hospital.

"That's weird!" he said. "Funny sort of clouds."

"Who typed this?" Donna demanded, outraged as she looked at her letter. "I'm your PA! Did you get someone else to type this?"

The rest of the staff exchanged glances at her lack of prioritizing.

"Beatrice!" Donna yelled, furious.

* * *

A short while later, the TV showed a report with the headline "ROYAL HOPE HOSPITAL VANISHES IN UPWARD RAIN MYSTERY".

"It sounds impossible," the reporter was saying, "but the entire hospital has vanished."

There was footage of broken pipelines still churning out water into the crater where the hospital had been.

"The Royal Hope no longer exists." The reporter continued. "It's not been destroyed. There's no wreckage. It's simply gone."

The office staff were all crowded around the TV, except for Donna.

"Reports from bystanders say that the rain lifted up around the hospital…"

"Hole punch-having that." Donna said as she packed up her desk. "Stapler-mine. Toy cactus-you can have that Beatrice, catch."

She tossed it at her.

"Cliff-I'd leave you the mousemat, but I'm worried you'd cut yourself." She said as she tossed in the box.

"All right, Donna, have some respect." Chowdry said angrily. "There's two thousand people in the hospital and it's vanished."

"Oh, I'll show you vanishing." Donna told him. "Thanks for nothing. Oh, and you know when that money went missing from the kitty? Anne Marie. That's all I'm saying. Anne-Marie!"

A rumble shook the office again.

"Oh, don't tell me." Donna said. "The hospital's back. Well, isn't that wizard?"

She kicked the drawer shut.

A/N: First chapter of Turn Left. Oh my god, Savin' Me is almost done. I've got to come up with a name for the next one. Suggestions?

Abbey


	50. Turn Left: Hell In A Hand Basket

Disclaimer: I own Lily and she's awesome. Now if we could only steal the Doctor.

Ch. 50:

Donna and Wilf sat at the table watching the news, while Sylvia went through the box of things Donna had brought home.

"To confirm, the Royal Hope Hospital was returned to its original position, but with only one survivor." The reporter said. "The only person left alive is medical student Oliver Morgenstern."

"There were these creatures." Morgenstern said, sitting wrapped in a shock blanket. "Like…rhinos, talking rhinos, in-in-in black leather."

"Rhinos?" Donna said.

"Rhinos could be aliens." Wilf said, his brow furrowed.

"Shh…" Donna said.

"There were hundreds of them." Morgenstern continued. "We couldn't breathe. We were running out of air. A colleague of mine gave me the last oxygen tank. Martha. Martha Jones. And she-she died."

"At least you got a hole punch." Sylvia said, removing items from the box. "And a raffle ticket."

"Yeah, well they can keep the raffle." Donna said. "I wouldn't take a penny off that man."

"Honestly, you two." Wilf reprimanded them. "There's aliens on the news. They took that hospital all the way to the moon and you're banging on about raffle tickets."

"Don't be daft, Gramps." Donna said. "It wasn't the moon! It couldn't be."

"Yes, well, I'm telling you-it's getting worse." Wilf said. "These past few years, it's like, all of a sudden, they suddenly know all about us and…there's keen eyes up there and they're not friendly."

"This stapler says 'Bea'." Sylvia said, holding the item up.

"Can't believe how well you're taking it, me getting sacked." Donna said. "Thought you'd hit the roof."

"I'm just tired, Donna." Sylvia said, sounding disappointed. "What with your father and everything. To be honest, I've given up on you."

"…This further report just in, from Oliver Morgenstern." The report continued.

"There was this woman who took control who said she-she know what to do." Morgenstern said. "Said she could stop the MRI or something. Sarah Jane, her name was. Sarah Jane Smith."

"Sarah Jane Smith was a freelance investigative journalist formally of Metropolitan Magazine." The reporter said over pictures of the woman. "Her body was recovered from the hospital this afternoon. Miss Smith had a son called…"

"What's for tea?" Donna asked.

"I've got nothing in." Sylvia said.

"I'll get chips." Donna said with forced cheeriness. "Last of my wages. Fish and chips, yeah?"

Her smile faltered as neither her mother or her grandfather said anything.

"…along with his teenage friends Maria Jackson and Clyde Langer. It is feared that they also perished."

* * *

Donna was walking down the street when she saw a flash of light and heard the crackle of electricity. She flinched and the next moment, the blonde woman and the man in the jacket came stumbling out of the alley.

"Blimey." Donna said. "Are you alright? What was that, fireworks, or…?"

"I dunno!" the woman replied, looking at the man. "I was just walking along and…that's weird."

Donna suddenly recognized them from the previous Christmas.

"You're the ones." She said. "Christmas Eve-I met you in town."

"Donna, isn't it?" the woman asked.

"What was your names?" Donna asked.

"How are you doing?" the woman asked, ignoring the question. "You're looking good…"

There was a clicking sound.

Both the man and the woman seemed to be distracted by something on Donna's shoulder.

"How've you been doing?" the woman continued. "What have you been up to?"

"You're doing it again." Donna told her.

"What?" the woman asked.

"Looking behind me." Donna replied. "People keep on doing that-looking at my back."

"What sort of people?" the man asked.

"People in the street." Donna replied. "Strangers. I just catch them, sometimes, staring at me…like they're looking at something."

The woman's eyes strayed to Donna's back again.

"And then I get home and look and there's nothing there." Donna continued.

She swiped at her back.

"See, look, now I'm doing it!" she said.

"What are you doing for Christmas?" the woman asked suddenly.

"What am I what?" Donna demanded.

"Next Christmas." The man replied. "Do you have any plans?"

"I don't know, that's ages away!" Donna said, confused. "Nothing much I suppose. Why?"

"Just…we think you should get out." The woman said. "You and your family, don't stay in London. Just…leave the City."

"What for?" Donna asked.

"A nice hotel." The woman replied. "Christmas break?"

"Can't afford it." Donna told her.

"You've got that raffle ticket." The man said.

"How do you know about that?" Donna asked.

"First prize…" the woman said. "Luxury weekend break. Use it, Donna Noble."

"Why won't you tell me your names?" Donna asked coldly.

Neither one answered.

Donna walked around them.

"I think you should leave me alone." She told them.

She walked away and they didn't try to stop her. They turned and walked back into the alley and were greeted by the flash of light and spark of electricity, with Donna ignored.

* * *

The Nobles parked in the driveway of a mansion house. A couple of footmen appeared to be waiting for them in the doorway.

"Cor, blimey." Wilf said, getting out of the car. "That's what I can posh!"

Wilfred was wearing a bright pair of antlers on his head as he unloaded the trunk of the car.

"I said you were lucky, didn't I?" he said to Donna. "I always said, my lucky star!"

"For god's sake, don't tell them we won it in a raffle." Sylvia told them in a low voice. "Be classy."

She spotted the antlers.

"Dad!" she hissed. "Take those things off!"

"No, I shan't!" he told her. "It's Christmas."

He stopped one of the footmen from taking one of the bags.

"Oi, I'll have that one, thank you." He told him. "It's got my liniment in it."

Donna and Sylvia strolled up the drive.

"I reckon we deserve this." Donna said. "It's been a hell of a year."

"Your dad would have loved this." Sylvia said.

"Yeah." Donna replied, smiling softly. "He would've."

Donna put her arm around her mother and they walked inside.

* * *

Wilf's feet were sticking out of the end of his blanket as he lay on the sofa, waving in time with 'Good King Wenceslas'.

There was knocking on the door.

"Oi, Gramps!" Donna called from the bathroom. "Get that! That'll be breakfast. Croissants!"

Wilf shifted himself to look at his daughter, who was sitting in the bed, making her way through a box of chocolates.

"Why can't you get it, Lady Muck?" he asked her.

"It's Christmas Day." She replied, flipping through the channels. "I never get up before ten. Only, madam there was up with the dawn chorus, like when she was six years old."

Wilf rubbed his eyes.

"I'm not wasting a second of this place." Donna said enthusiastically. "How was the sofa?"

"Oh, yeah…" Wilf said. "Not so good, really."

He stood up, massaging his back.

"You know, we could have paid for a second room." He told them. "Oi!"

He whistled and pointed at Donna.

"Merry Christmas!" he called.

She chuckled and pointed back.

"Merry Christmas!" she told him.

There was knocking at the door again and Wilf went to open it.

"Yeah, all right, come in, my darling." He said, standing back to let the maid through. "Grub's up! Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, sir!" the maid replied in a Spanish accent.

"We have interrupted your program to bring you breaking news." A reporter on the TV said.

"Have you seen this?" Sylvia called.

"Because I thought, nice early breakfast and then we'll go for a walk." Donna said. "People always say at Christmas, 'Oh we all went for a walk'. I've always wanted to do that."

The maid set the tray down with a smile, but froze when she saw Donna brushing her hair.

"So, walk first, presents later, yeah?" Donna continued.

"Donna, come and see." Sylvia called, her eyes riveted on the TV.

"Tienes algo en tu espalda." The maid said to Donna.

"What?" Donna asked.

"Donna, look at the telly." Sylvia said urgently.

"Tienes algo en tu espalda!" the maid said, just as urgently.

"What does that mean?" Donna asked her. "I don't know what you're saying."

"Donna, look at the TV!" Sylvia told her.

"Tienes algo en tu espalda!" the maid said, sounding fearful.

Donna saw something out of the corner of her eye in the mirror. Something on her back, like a spindly leg or a feeler. She heard the clicking sound again, like the pincers of a beetle. The maid ran from the room, but the news on the TV kept anyone from noticing.

"For God's sake, Donna don't just stand there!" Sylvia told her. "Come and look!"

Donna strained to see her back in the mirror, turning, feeling herself, but whatever it was, it was gone now.

"It seems impossible, but this footage is live and genuine." The reporter said over the footage. "The object is falling on Ventral London. Repeat: this is not a hoax. A replica of the Titanic has fallen out of the sky and it's heading for Buckingham Palace. We're getting this footage from the Guinevere range of satellites."

"Is that…a film or something?" Donna asked.

The replica of the Titanic was now only mere feet above the Palace.

"The Royal Air Force has declared anarchy-"

The Titanic crashed straight through the roof of the Palace and a second later, the screen turned to white noise. Another second and a blast shook the hotel room.

"It's gone dead." Sylvia said, flipping through the channels. "All of them."

"No, but the Titanic…" Donna said with a nervous smile. "Well, don't be daft. Is that like a…sequel?"

Wilf stood at the window with a look of utter revulsion at what he was seeing.

"Oh…" he whispered. "Oh, God rest their souls."

* * *

Everyone stood outside staring in horror at the large mushroom cloud which was now where London had once been.

"I was supposed to be out there selling papers." Wilf said. "I should have been there, we all should. We'd be dead."

"That's everyone." Sylvia said, not quite seeming to comprehend. "Every single person we know. The whole city."

"It can't be." Donna said in disbelief.

"But it is, it's gone!" Sylvia said. "London's gone!"

"If you hadn't won that raffle…" Wilf told Donna.

Donna stood there, her mouth open in shock.

Suddenly, she felt someone looking at her. She turned to find the maid from earlier pointing at her, eyes narrowed, shaking her head.

* * *

Donna, Wilf, and Sylvia were all crowded around a small desk, talking to a housing office in a crowded office.

"Leeds?" Donna demanded in horror. "I'm not moving to Leeds!"

"It's Leeds-or you can wait in the hostel for another three months." The housing office told her in a no-nonsense tone.

"All I want is a washing machine." Sylvia said woefully.

"What about Glasgow?" Donna asked. "I heard there were jobs going in Glasgow."

"You can't pick and choose!" the woman told them, irritated. "We have the whole of Southern England flooded with radiation. Seven million people in need of relocation, and now France has closed its borders. So, it's Leeds-or nothing. Next!"

She stamped the word LEEDS in large red letters on their papers in a very final sort of way.

* * *

An army bus arrived in a street crowded with small terraced houses. A soldier stood with a loud speaker calling out house assignments.

"The Daniels Family, billeted at number 15." He called. "Mr. and Mrs. Obego, billeted at number 31. Miss Contrane, you're in number 8. The Noble family billeted at number 29."

"That's us." Wilfred said, picking up their cases. "Come on, off we go. Oh. All right?"

A woman stood with her arms folded in the doorway next to theirs, regarding them with hostility.

"Used to be a nice little family in number 29." She told them. "They missed one mortgage payment-just one-they got booted out. All for you lot."

"Don't get all chippy with me, Vera Duckworth." Donna told her, matching her hostility for hostility. "Pop your clogs on and go and feed whippets."

"Sweetheart, come on." Wilf said, pulling her along. "You're not going to make the world any better by shouting at it."

"I can try." Donna replied.

They found number 29, only to find the door locked.

"What happens?" Sylvia asked. "Do we get keys?"

"I don't know, do I?" Wilf replied.

"Well, who do we ask?" Sylvia said, looking around. "The soldiers?"

The door suddenly opened to reveal a beaming Italian man.

"Hey-ey-ey!" he said, smacking the wall of the house enthusiastically. "Is a big house! Room for all. Welcome! In you come."

"I thought this was our house." Donna said.

"Is many people's house!" the man replied. "Is wonderful! In, in, in!"

He ushered them into the narrow hallway.

"We've been here for eight weeks already." He continued. "Had a nice little paper shop in Shepherd's Bush-all gone now!"

Two little boys watched them from the stairs.

"So, upstairs, we have Merchandani family, seven of them." He told them. "Good family. Good kids."

He eyed one of the boys.

"Except that one." He told them. "You be careful of him."

He burst out laughing and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Ah, that's joking!" he said. "Where's that smile, eh?"

He gestured to himself.

"Rocco Colasanto." He said. "I'm here with my wife and her sister and her husband and their kids and her daughter's kids. We've got the front room."

He looked at them apologetically.

"My mother, she's got the back room." He told them. "She's old. You'll forgive. And this, this is you. This is your place!"

He showed them into a narrow kitchen, which instead of a door, had a curtain. Beds were made up on the floor.

"What do you mean, this is us?" Sylvia demanded.

"You live here!" Rocco replied with apparent delight.

"We're living in the kitchen?" Donna asked.

"You got camp-beds." He told them. "You got the cooker, you keep warm, you got the fridge, you keep cool. Is good!"

"What about the bathroom?" Sylvia asked.

"Nobody lives in the bathroom." He replied.

"No, I mean, is there a rota?" she asked.

"Is pot luck!" he replied, laughing. "Is fun! I go wake Mamma. She likes new people."

He pushed past them into the hallway.

"Mamma!" he shouted. "Is people! Nice people!"

Donna, Wilf, and Sylvia looked around with some despair.

"Oh, well." Wilf said heartily. "We'll settle in, won't we? Make do? Bit of wartime spirit, eh?"

"Yeah, but there isn't a war." Donna said. "There's no fight. It's just…this."

"Well, American, they'll save us." Wilf said, refusing to be brought down. "It was on the news. They're going to send Great Britain fifty-billion quid in financial aid. God bless America!"

* * *

The inhabitants of number 29 were crowded around the television in the kitchen, eating food out of tins.

"America in crisis, with sixty million reported dead." A reporter was saying. "Sixty million people have dissolved into fat. And the fat is walking."

The TV showed footage of little blobs of fat with faces waddling down the streets.

"People's fat has come to life and is walking through the streets." The reporter continued. "And there are spaceships. There are reports of spaceships over every major US city. The fat is flying. It's leaving…"

"Aliens." Wilf said.

"Yeah." Donna replied.

They didn't even seem surprised anymore. Just depressed.

"The fat creatures are being raised into the air…"

A/N: I now remember how utterly depressing this episode is. And then I don't even get to change much, because one of my characters is dead and the other only shows up sporadically! Also, in Partners in Crime, Lily made a comment about Adipose going over well in America. I wrote that and didn't realize that they went to America in this episode until I wrote it. Talk about unintentional continuity! Anyway, tell me what you thought.

Abbey


	51. Turn Left: Well It Can't Get Much Worse

Disclaimer: The Doctor is mine I tell you! Mine!

Ch. 51:

Donna and Sylvia were tucked into their camp beds on the kitchen floor. The room was lit with candles.

"Mary McGinty." Sylvia said suddenly. "Do you remember her?"

"Who was she?" Donna asked.

"Worked in the news agent on a Sunday." She replied. "Little woman. Black hair."

"Never really spoke to her." Donna replied.

"She'll be dead." Sylvia said. "Every day, I think of someone else. All dead."

"Maybe she went away for Christmas." Donna said.

"Maybe." Sylvia agreed.

"I'll go out, tomorrow." Donna said reassuringly. "I'll walk into town. There's got to be work. Everyone needs secretaries. As soon as I'm earning, we'll get a proper place. Just you wait, Mum."

"What if it never gets better?" Sylvia asked.

"Course it will." Donna replied.

"Even the bees are disappearing." Sylvia said. "You don't see bumble-bees anymore."

"They'll sort us out." Donna said. "The emergency government. They'll do something."

"What if they don't?" her mother asked.

"Then…we'll complain." Donna said positively.

"Who's going to listen to us?" Sylvia demanded. "Refugees. We haven't even got a vote. We're just no one, Donna. We don't exist."

The sound of voices carried from the living room. Voices singing a drinking song loudly.

"_And I spent all my money on whisky and beer…_"

"I am going to KILL that man!" Donna seethed.

She got up and walked out.

She burst into the sitting room.

"Now, listen, Mussolini!" she shouted. "I am telling you for the last time to BUTTON IT! If I hear one more SEA SHANTY…"

She trailed off as she spotted Wilf sitting in the corner.

"I always loved a sing-song!" he told her.

* * *

Everyone stood around singing, including Donna and Sylvia.

"_I'm just a poor boy from a poor family, he's just a poor boy from a poor family, spare him his life from this monstrosity-Doo doo doo doo doo, easy come, easy go, will you let me go?_"

There were gunshots outside.

"_Bismillah! No-"_

They faltered as the gunshots continued.

"Stay here." Rocco said, getting up. "Everyone, stay!"

Outside, a soldier was shooting at an army van and the whole street was clouded in smoke.

"Hey-ey-ey!" Rocco shouted. "Firing at the car is not so good! You-you crazy or what?"

"It's this ATMOS thing, it won't stop!" the soldier said. "It's like gas, it's toxic!"

"Well, switch it off!" Wilf said.

"I have done, it's still going." He replied. "It's every car. Every single ATMOS car, they've gone mad."

There was the clicking sound.

The soldier's eyes widened and he pointed his gun straight at Donna.

"You, lady, turn around!" he ordered.

Wilf and Rocco stood in front of her.

"Are you crazy, boy?" Rocco demanded.

"Turn around!" the soldier ordered.

"Put the gun down!" Wilf yelled.

"Turn around!" he ordered. "Turn around!"

"Do what he says!" Sylvia said, distressed. "Turn around, now!"

"Turn around, now!" he ordered. "Show me your back!"

Donna turned around, her arms in the air. There was nothing on her back. The soldier lowered his gun, his eyes wide with terrified confusion.

"Sorry…" he said shakily. "I thought I saw…"

"Call yourself a soldier?" Wilf said angrily. "Pointing guns at innocent women?"

Donna wasn't angry though. She had an idea of what he had seen. Around the corner she saw a familiar flash of light and felt the familiar buzz of electricity.

"You're a disgrace." Wilf continued. "In my day, we would've had you court-martialed!"

Donna walked silently in the direction of the blue flash.

"Donna?" Sylvia called, but made no move to follow her. "Where are you going? It's not safe at night! Donna! Donna!"

Donna rounded the corner.

"Hello." She said.

The man and woman were standing there, waiting for her.

"Hi." The woman replied.

* * *

The woman sat next to Donna on a park bench while the man stood a little ways away, looking up at the sky.

"It's the ATMOS devices." The woman told her. "We're lucky it's not so bad here. Britain hasn't got that much petrol. But all over Europe…China, South Africa…they're getting choked by gas."

"Can't anyone stop it?" Donna asked.

"They're trying now." The man said. "This stupid ape and the two he's managed to get to follow him on this insane quest."

"They're brave." The woman told him, glaring.

"Doesn't mean they aren't stupid." He replied.

"Any way, they're on board the Sontaran ship." The woman told Donna. "Any second now…"

The sky turned to fire briefly, and then calm was restored and Donna's mouth fell open.

"That was the Torchwood team." The woman said. "Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones-they gave their lives. And Captain Jack Harkness has transported to the Sontaran home world. There's no one left."

She sounded so tired.

Donna looked her up and down.

"You're always wearing the same clothes. Both of you." She said testily. "Why won't you tell me your names?"

"None of this was meant to happen." The woman told her. "There was a man and a woman. This…wonderful man and woman, and they stopped it. The Titanic, the Adipose, the ATMOS, they stopped them all from happening."

"That…Doctor?" Donna asked.

She saw the man flinch.

"You knew him." The woman told her.

"Did I?" Donna asked. "When?"

"I think you dream about them, sometimes." She replied. "It's a young, black haired woman with a penchant for boots and leather jackets and a man in a suit? A tall man, great hair."

She stared off into the distance.

"Some...really great hair." She murmured.

"Who are you?" Donna asked with an air of great restraint.

"I was like you." The woman told her. "I used to be you. You've travelled with him, Donna. You've travelled with the Doctor and Lily in a different world."

"Two different worlds." The man added.

"I never met them, and they're dead." Donna replied.

"They died underneath the Thames on Christmas Eve." The woman agreed. "But you were meant to be there. They needed someone to stop them, and that was you. You made them leave. You saved their lives."

Donna stared at her.

_The Doctor stood amidst a storm of fire and water with Lily leaning on the railing in front of him. Donna stood below them in her wedding dress, watching them as they watched impassively the destruction they had wrought. _

"_Doctor!" she called. "Lily!"_

_The Doctor looked at her as though he had just snapped out of a trance. Lily stayed focused._

"_You can stop now!" Donna called._

_He watched her for a second before turning to Lily._

"_Time to go, Lily-girl." He said._

_And they did._

Donna stood up and walked away, afraid.

"Stop it." She told them. "I don't know what you're talking about. Leave me alone!"

"Something's coming, Donna." The man told her as the woman stood up. "Something worse."

"The whole world is stinking." She told them angrily. "How can anything be worse than this?"

"Trust us." The woman said. "We need the Doctor more than ever. I've-"

The woman swallowed and put her hand on her heart.

"We've been pulled across from two different universes, because every single universe is in danger." She told her. "It's coming, Donna. It's coming from across the stars and nothing can stop it."

"WHAT is?" Donna demanded, tears of frustration in her eyes.

"The darkness." The woman replied.

"Well, what do you keep telling ME for?" Donna demanded angrily. "WHAT am I supposed to do? I'm nothing special. I mean, I'm-I'm not-I'm nothing special, I'm a temp. I'm not even that, I'm NOTHING."

"Donna Noble, you're the most important woman in the whole of creation!" the woman told her, laughing slightly at the idea that Donna was nothing.

Donna gave a short, mirthless laugh.

"Oh, don't. Just…" she shook her head, her smile gone, "don't. "I'm tired. I'm so…tired."

She turned to leave.

"We need you to come with us." The woman called.

"Yeah." Donna said, turning back with a derisive laugh. "Well, blonde hair might work on the men, but you ain't shifting me, lady."

"That's more like it." The man said, smiling.

"I've got plenty more." Donna told him.

"I know you'll come with us." The woman told her, also smiling. "Only when you want to."

"You'll have a long wait, then." Donna said, walking away.

"Not really, just three weeks." The woman called assuredly. "Tell me, does your grandfather still own that telescope?"

Donna turned back, surprised.

"He never lets go of it." She replied.

"Three weeks time." The woman told her. "But you've got to be certain. Because, when you come with me, Donna…sorry…so sorry, but…you're going to die."

Donna stared at her.

Before her eyes, the woman and the man disappeared.

* * *

Rocco hugged Donna in farewell, spinning her around, both of them laughing.

"And you!" he said. "I'm going to miss you most of all, all flame and fiery."

"Oh, but why do you have to go?" Donna asked.

"It's the new law!" he told her. "England for the English, et cetera."

Donna didn't see Wilf closes his eyes behind her.

"They can't send us home, the oceans are closed!" Rocco continued. "They build labor camps."

He smiled at her.

"I know, but…labor doing what?" Donna asked. "There aren't any jobs."

"Sewing!" Rocco told her after a second. "Digging! Is good!"

He kissed her cheek.

"Now, stop it before I kiss you too much." He told her, kissing her again.

He turned to face Wilfred.

"Wilfred." He said. "My Captain."

He saluted Wilf.

Wilf stood at attention and saluted back. All trace of humor was gone from both men as they shared an intense look that Donna didn't understand. The smile was gone from Rocco's face along with the twinkle in his eyes, and Wilfred's eyes were red and moist. Rocco nodded and joined the other foreigners on the van.

"It'll be quiet with him gone." Donna said. "Still, we'll have more room."

"'Labor camps'." Wilf said, his voice shaking. "That's what they called them last time."

"What do you mean?" Donna asked.

She looked at Rocco and his family in the back of the van. He held his sobbing wife in his arms and they all looked terrified.

"It's happening again." Wilf said.

"What is?" Donna demanded.

She looked from Wilf's distraught expression to the van before approaching the soldiers.

"Excuse me?" she called, but they ignored her. "Excuse me, where are you taking them?"

The van pulled out and she ran after it.

"Where are you going?" she called. "Rocco, where are you going? Where are you going?"

The van turned the corner.

"Were are you going?" she shouted.

The van was gone.

Wilfred shook his head.

* * *

Donna entered the room to find Sylvia sitting there with her back to her. She looked so tired, so depressed. Donna closed the door behind her.

"I asked about jobs, with the army." She said. "They said I wasn't qualified."

Sylvia gave no answer.

"You were right." She continued lightly. "You said I should have worked harder at school."

Still no answer.

"I suppose I've always been a disappointment." She said.

"Yeah." Sylvia finally said.

Donna paused a moment before leaving her alone.

* * *

Wilfred and Donna sat in the yard, bundled up in winter coats, around a little fire in a bucket. Donna was resting her head against his shoulder, staring into space, while Wilf sipped a cup of tea, considering his telescope which was set up in front of him.

"You know," he said, "we'd get a bit of cash if we sold this thing."

"Don't you dare!" Donna told him. "I always imagined, your old age…I'd have put a bit of money by, make you comfy. Never did. I'm just useless."

Wilfred squinted through the eyepiece of the telescope.

"You're supposed to say 'no, you're not'!" she told him.

"Ah, it must be the alignment." He said, not paying attention.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know." He told her. "I mean, it can't be the lens. I was looking at Orion, the constellation of Orion-you take a look."

He shifted to let her look.

"And tell me, what can you see?" he asked.

"Where?" she asked.

"Well, up there in the sky!" he told her.

Donna peered through the telescope.

"Well, I can't see anything." She told him. "It's just…black."

"Well, I mean it's working!" Wilf said, annoyed and confused. "The telescope is working."

"Well…maybe it's the clouds." Donna told him.

"There's not!" Wilf replied. "It was there. An entire constellation."

As he pointed, the stars began to blink out as though someone or something was turning them off.

"Look…" he said. "Look there…"

The stars disappeared, one constellation at a time.

"They're going out." Wilfred said, horrified. "Oh, my God, Donna! The stars are going out!"

Donna turned around.

"I'm ready." She said.

The man and woman were standing there, waiting for her.

* * *

They drove down the road in a UNIT van. Never did they say a word.

* * *

The man pushed aside a curtain and allowed the woman and Donna to enter the warehouse before him. Inside was a circle of mirrors with lights in between them. A blue telephone box stood a short distance away from the circle, linked to it by bunches of wires.

The man walked over to the box and stroked it sadly.

"Why is it we never find a live, healthy one?" he called.

"Because we're not that lucky." The woman called back.

"Good point." He replied, walking back to her.

"Ma'am." A captain said, saluting them. "Sir."

"We've told you, don't salute." The woman told her as she bent down to mess with the computers.

"Well, if you're not going to tell us your names…" the captain replied.

"What, you don't know either?" Donna asked.

"There's too many different realities." The woman said. "Trust me, the wrong word in the wrong place can change an entire causal nexus."

"You just had to go and tell them your name." the man said. "You couldn't leave well enough alone."

"Yeah, well you had to go and provoke that one tribe." The woman shot back. "Tell me, how did that turn out for you?"

"They talk like that." The captain told Donna as they continued to fight. "A lot. And you must be Miss Noble."

"Donna." She replied.

"Captain Erisa Magambo." The captain said, shaking her hand. "Thank you for this."

"I don't even know what I'm doing." Donna said.

"Is it awake?" the woman asked, having finished her argument with the man, though both still seemed annoyed.

"It seems to be quiet today." Magambo replied. "Ticking over. Like it's waiting."

The woman contemplated the box, her arms folded.

"Do you want to see it?" she asked Donna.

"What's a police box?" she asked.

"They salvaged it from underneath the Thames." The woman told her. "Just go inside."

"What for?" Donna asked.

"Just go in!" the man said, exasperated.

Donna did as she was told, still confused. She gave them a strange look before walking in.

The man and woman stood outside.

"No. WAY." Came Donna's voice from inside followed by her incredulous laughter.

"Pay up." The woman said, holding her hand out to the man.

"Screaming in terror would've been too much to ask for?" he grumbled, shoving a bill into her hand.

"Yep." The woman replied, popping the p.

Donna walked out and walked around the box, feeling the sides, her mouth hanging open. She walked back in.

The inside was a giant dark room. She looked around for a moment before walking back out.

"What do you think?" the woman asked, grinning.

"…can I have a coffee?" Donna asked.

* * *

The woman and Donna, with a steaming cup of coffee in her hands, walked around the console, while the man sat on the jumpseat.

"Time and Relative Dimension In Space." The woman told her. "This room used to shine with light."

She looked up at the engine column.

"I think it's dying." She said.

"She is." The man said. "Her Doctor's dead. She has no reason to continue now."

The woman reached out and rubbed the console. The column rose a feeble inch or two in response.

"It's still trying to help." She said.

"And…and it belonged to the Doctor?" Donna asked.

"He was a Time Lord." The woman told her. "Last of his kind."

"Sort of." The man said.

"What do you mean?" Donna asked.

"Lily was a Time Lord too." He told her. "But she was turned into a human a long time ago and she was from another reality, so it all depends on how you want to look at it."

"But if they're so special, what are they doing with me?" Donna asked, genuinely puzzled.

"They thought you were brilliant." The woman told her simply.

"Don't be stupid." Donna replied.

"Well, you are!" she told her. "It just took the Doctor to show you that, simply being with him."

She looked away.

"He did the same to me." She told her. "To everyone he touches."

Donna watched her for a moment.

"Were you and him…?" she asked her.

The woman looked at her, but she didn't seem to have an answer.

She was suddenly distracted by the clicking noise. She reached out and smoothed her hand over Donna's shoulder and back.

"Do you want to see it?" she asked Donna.

"No." Donna replied immediately.

The woman peered at her back.

"Go on, then." Donna said finally.

A/N: Almost done with Turn Left. At least now I have alt. Nine to play with. Not as much fun as Lily, but it'll have to do. So tell me what you think.

Abbey


	52. Turn Left: Dying For A Better World

Disclaimer: I won the Doctor in a card game, but now there are these gangsters after me. Oh well.

Ch. 52:

The woman took Donna into the center of the circle of mirrors while the man walked around the outside.

"We don't know how the TARDIS works, but he helped us scrape off the surface technology." The woman said, nodding to the man. "Enough to show you the creature."

"It's a creature?" Donna asked, alarmed.

"Just stand here." The woman told her.

"You might want to get out of the circle." The man called to the woman. "Unless you particularly want this to blow up in our faces."

"Yeah, yeah." The woman replied, walking over to him.

"Can't you stay with me?" Donna asked her.

"Ready?" the Captain called. "And…activate."

The machine began to whirl and the lights around the circle began to snap on, one by one. Donna screwed her eyes shut.

"Open your eyes, Donna." The woman called calmly.

"Is it there?" Donna asked.

"Yeah." The man replied. "Open your eyes. Look at it."

"I can't." Donna said, shaking her head.

"It's a part of you." The woman said. "Donna. Look."

Donna slowly opened her eyes. In the mirrors, she saw the thing on her back. A massive, black beetle. She gasped in horror and began spinning around frantically.

"It's okay." The woman called reassuringly. "It's okay, it's okay-calm down. Donna? Donna? Donna!"

Donna stopped spinning.

"Okay." The woman said.

Donna took deep breaths, looking at the beetle with trepidation. It took up most of her back, it's pincers nuzzling her hair. Upon closer inspection, Donna realized that it wasn't causing her any pain. It was just sitting there like a parasite, clicking away.

"What is it?" Donna asked, just barely staying calm.

"We don't know." The woman said. "Well, he knows, but he won't tell us."

"Why?" Donna demanded.

"Just trying to keep the multi-verse from collapsing." He said brightly.

"Oh. Thanks." Donna said sarcastically.

"No problem." He replied.

"It feeds off time." The woman told her. "By-by changing time. By making someone's life take a different turn, like, er…meetings never made…children never born…a life never loved. But with you, it's…"

She shook her head.

"Big old parallel universe." The man said, still very cheerfully.

"But I never did-anything important." Donna said, frozen with fear.

"Yeah, you did." The woman told her. "One day, that thing made you turn right instead of left."

"When was that?" Donna asked.

"Oh, you wouldn't remember." The woman told her. "It was the most ordinary day in the world, but by turning right, you never met the Doctor and Lily and the whole world just changed around you."

"Can you get rid of it?" Donna asked.

"We can't even touch it." The man told her. "It's in a state of flux."

"What-does that-mean?" Donna demanded.

"Nothing!" the man said happily. "Just thought it sounded nice."

The woman groaned.

"It's like the magic doors all over again." She said.

"Hey that wasn't me!" the man protested.

"Same difference!" she shot back.

"You liars!" Donna said furiously, surprising them. "You told me I was special! But it's not me! It's this thing! I'm just a host!"

"No, there's more than that." The woman said calmly. "The readings are strange. It's…it's like reality's just bending round you."

"Because of this thing!" Donna insisted.

"No, not really." The man told her. "We're getting separate reading from you. And they've always been there, since the day you were born."

"This is not relevant to the mission." The captain to them.

"Oh, shut up." The man told her. "Without us, there is no mission, so shut it."

"I thought it was just the Doctor we needed." The woman told Donna.

"And I thought it was him and Lily." The man added.

"But we were both wrong." The woman said. "We need all three of you. The Doctor, Lily Carter, and Donna Noble. Together. To stop the stars from going out."

"Why?" Donna shouted hysterically. She was shaking with fear and sheer confusion. "What can I do?"

Neither one answered.

Donna half glanced at the beetle again, but she couldn't bring herself to look directly at it again.

"Turn it off." She whimpered. "Please."

"Captain." The woman said quickly.

"Power down." The captain called.

As soon as the lights were down, the woman went to Donna, who was shaking uncontrollably. She touched her arm comfortingly.

"It's…it's still there, though." Donna said shakily. "What can I do…to get rid of it?"

"You're going to travel in time." The woman told her.

* * *

The woman took charge, quickly explaining to Donna what she needed to do. Donna was now wearing a thick green jacket covered in wires.

"The TARDIS has tracked down the moment of intervention, Monday the 25th, one minute past ten in the morning." She told her. "Your car was on Little Sutton Street, Ealing Road, but you turn right heading for Griffin's Parade. You need to turn left. That's the most important thing. You've got to go back and turn left. Have you got that, Donna? One minute past ten. Make yourself turn left, heading for the Chiswick Highroad."

"Keep the jacket on at all times." The captain told her. "It's insulation against temporal feedback."

A digital watch is placed on Donna's wrist.

"This will correspond to local time wherever you land." She told her.

She presented her with a glass of water.

"This is to combat dehydration."

"Really?" the man said sarcastically. "Who would've thought?"

Donna was led to the edge of the circle.

"This is where we leave you." The woman told her.

"I don't want to see that thing on my back." Donna said quickly.

"You won't." the woman told her. "The mirrors are just incidental. They bounce chronon energy back into the center which we control and decide the destination."

"It's a time machine." Donna said, awed.

"A crude one." The man said, dismissively.

The woman glared at him before smiling at Donna.

"It's a time machine." She agreed.

"If you could?" the captain said.

The woman smiled at Donna encouragingly and gave her arm one last squeeze. Then Donna stepped once more into the circle.

"Powering up." The captain called.

The machinery burst to life once more and the lights snapped on.

"How do you know it's going to work?" Donna asked.

"Hmm?" the woman said. "Oh…yeah…we-we don't. We're just…we're just guessing."

"But we're brilliant at that." The man added. "Really, it's one of the things we do best."

"Oh, great!" Donna said, laughing apprehensively.

"Just remember, when you get to the junction, change the car's direction by one minute past ten." The woman warned.

"How do I do that?" Donna asked.

"It's up to you." She replied.

"Well, I just have to…run up to myself and…have a good argument." Donna said.

"I'd like to see that!" the woman said, laughing.

"I wouldn't." the man said. "Gives me the chills just thinking about it."

"Activate loadstone." The captain called.

A switch was flipped and the lights began to blink.

"Good luck." The woman called.

"I'm ready!" Donna called back.

"One minute past ten." She reminded her.

"Because I understand, now." Donna said. "You said I was going to die, but you mean this whole world is going to blink out of existence."

The man and woman's faces were both somber.

"But that's not dying." Donna continued. "Because a better world take its place. The Doctor's world. And I'm still alive!"

She smiled but they didn't answer.

"That's right, isn't it?" She said. "I don't die? If I change things, I don't die? That's…that's right, isn't it?" she asked.

She smiled, but the woman just glanced at the man, both still very somber.

"I'm sorry." The woman said, looking back at her.

"But I can't die!" Donna protested. "I've got a future! With the Doctor and Lily! You told me!"

"Activate!" the captain yelled.

The lights reached full intensity and strong wind blew against Donna. Spark flew from everywhere.

And they she was gone.

* * *

Donna reappeared on all fours in the street. She was still wearing the thick green coat covered in wires. All around her was a normal day. She stood up, hardly able to believe it.

She threw her arms in the air, laughing. Then she took in her surroundings properly.

"Hold on..." she said. "But this is…I'm not…This is Sutton Court! I'm half a mile away!"

She turned her face to the sky.

"I'm half a mile away!" she yelled.

She looked down at the wristwatch.

_9:57_

"Four minutes?" she said, horrified. "Oh, my God…"

She took off running.

* * *

Donna and Sylvia approached the car.

"Jival Chowdry?" Sylvia was saying.

They got into the car.

"He runs that little photocopy business in Merchant's Street." She continued. "And he needs a secretary."

"I've-got-a job." Donna told her.

* * *

Donna ran down the street as fast as she could. She couldn't catch her breath, but she didn't dare stop.

* * *

Donna clicked her seatbelt into place.

"H.C. Clements is in the city." She told her mother. "It's nice. It's posh. So, stop it."

She turned the key in the ignition.

* * *

Donna paused by a lamp post for a second to check her watch before carrying on running.

* * *

A large blue van drove by them as they waited at the crossroad.

"It won't take long." Sylvia said. "Just turn right."

* * *

Donna was sprinting down the road, gasping for air.

* * *

"I'm going left." Donna said, fed up. "If you don't like it, get out an walk."

* * *

Donna was still running.

* * *

"You think I'm so useless." Donna said, raising her voice.

"I know why you want a job with H.C. Clements, lady." Sylvia said, mockingly. "Because you think you'll meet a man…"

* * *

Donna stopped, gasping, and checked her watch again.

_9:59_

"I'm not going to get there." She whispered.

_You're going to die._

She saw the blue truck driving up the road.

* * *

"…city executives don't need temps, except for practice." Sylvia finished.

The turn signal blinked left.

"Yeah." Donna said. "S'pose you're right."

She turned it to right.

* * *

Donna gazed at the approaching truck.

"Please." She whispered.

She stepped out in front of it.

The driver slammed on his breaks, but it was too late. In the background, a woman screamed.

* * *

Donna and Sylvia heard the screaming in their car.

"Can you hear that?" Sylvia asked.

* * *

The driver jumped out of the truck and waved for traffic to stop.

"Hold on!" he yelled. "Back up!"

"Oi!" a taxi driver called. "Get a move on!"

* * *

Donna and Sylvia watched as traffic began to build up to the right of them.

"The traffic's stopping." Donna pointed out.

"Something must have happened!" Sylvia said.

* * *

Donna was lying on the ground. She opened her eyes slowly and the man and woman came into focus. The woman kneeled next to her.

"Tell him this:" she said. "Two words."

She leaned down and whispered in Donna's ear.

Donna's eyes closed and her head fell to the side.

* * *

Donna looked at the traffic with distaste.

"Well, that decides it." She said. "I'm not sitting in a traffic jam. I'm going left."

She switched the signal and turned left.

* * *

_Donna screamed_

_The beetle flailed on her back_

_The world unraveled_

_UNIT_

_Rocco_

_The Web-Star_

_The Doctor and Lily, wreathed in fire and water_

_The sonic screwdriver flying back into the Doctor's hand_

_The word 'LEEDS' stamped across the paper_

_The mushroom cloud_

_The Titanic falling from the sky_

_The rain above the hospital_

_The beetle falling off her back onto its back on the floor_

_The fortune teller cowering in the corner_

* * *

The woman stared at Donna, her eyes full of fear.

Donna stood and looked at the beetle twitching on the ground, clicking away feebly before it died.

"What the hell is that?" Donna demande.d

"You were so strong." The woman said, terrified. "What are you? What will you be?"

She scrambled to the exit whimpering.

The beetle gave one last click, and then it was still.

The Doctor walked in, his arm still around Lily.

"Everything alright?" he asked mildly.

Donna stared at them as if she hadn't seen them in years.

"Oh, God…!" she said, throwing her arms around them.

"Ow." Lily said. "Careful of the walking dead."

"Not funny." The Doctor told her.

"It was a little funny." Lily replied.

"Not in the slightest." He told her sternly.

"I think his sense of humor is the real thing dying." Lily told Donna. "So what was the hug for?"

"I don't know!" she said, hugging them again.

Lily and the Doctor shared a bemused look, but hugged her back.

* * *

The Doctor sat examining the beetle. And by examining it, he was poking it with a stick. Lily reached over and swatted his hand.

"I can't remember." Donna told them. "It's slipping away. You know like when you try and think of a dream and it just sort of…goes."

"It just got luck, this thing." The Doctor said, pointing at the beetle. "It's one of the Trickster's Brigade. Changes a life in tiny little ways. Most times, the universe just compensates around it, but with you…" He looked at her proudly. "Great big parallel world!"

"The man said something similar." Donna said. "Besides I thought after Lily came through, the parallel worlds finished sealing themselves off."

"They did." Lily said. "But you had one created around you. Seems to happen to you a lot."

"How do you mean?" Donna asked.

"Well, the Library and then this…" Lily said.

"Just…goes with the job, I suppose." Donna said.

The Doctor was looking at her now, his brow furrowed.

"Sometimes I think there's way too much coincidence around you, Donna." He said. "We met you once. We met your grandfather. Then we met you again. In the whole wide universe, we met you for a second time. Plus, add to that the fact that the other you travelled with Lily and the other Doctor…It's like something's binding us together."

"Don't be daft." Donna told him. "I'm nothing special."

"Yes, you are!" Lily protested. "You're brilliant!"

_They thought you were brilliant._

"And she said that." Donna murmured.

"Who did?" the Doctor asked.

"This man and woman." She replied, straining to remember. "I can't remember."

"Well, they never existed now." He told her.

"Now, but she said…the stars…she said the stars are going out." Donna told them.

"Yeah, but that world's gone." Lily told her.

"No, but they said it was all worlds." Donna insisted. "Every world. They said the darkness is coming, even here."

"Who were they?" the Doctor asked, his attention caught now.

"I don't know." Donna told him.

"What did they look like?" Lily pushed.

"He was…tall. Big ears and a black leather jacket." She told them.

Lily's hand flew to her mouth as he jaw dropped.

"And the woman?" the Doctor asked. "The woman, what did she look like?"

"She was…blonde." Donna remembered.

"What was her name?" the Doctor pushed.

"I don't know!" Donna told him.

"Donna, we need to know their names!" Lily told her.

"But she told me…" Donna said. "To warn you. She said…two words."

"What two words?" the Doctor demanded. "What were they? What did she say?"

Donna hesitated.

"Bad Wolf."

The Doctor's eyes widened and Lily's filled with fear.

"Well, what does it mean?" Donna asked.

The Doctor leapt to feet, Lily right behind him, and ran out the door. Donna followed quickly.

Outside, everywhere they looked, were the words 'Bad Wolf'. Over and over again. They ran to the TARDIS and ever word and phrase was replaced with 'Bad Wolf'.

The Doctor wrenched open the doors and they ran inside.

Lily stifled a scream.

The room was bathed in red light.

Donna slammed the doors after them.

"Doctor, what is it?" Donna demanded. "Lily? Will someone tell me what's Bad Wolf?"

The Doctor was breathing heavily.

"It's the end of the Universe." He told her simply.

A/N: Turn Left is done! Oh wow. I'm not going to lie, I feel kind of like a rock star. Anyway, let me know what you thought and keep sending ideas for future titles.

Abbey


	53. Stolen Earth: Old Enemies Don't Die

Disclaimer: I own the Earth. Take that BBC.

**ATTENTION ALL READERS: Until further notice, the Doctors will be referred to as such:**

** Lily's Original Doctor: Nine  
Our Doctor: The Doctor**

** Names will be added as needed.**

Ch. 53:

The Doctor ran out of the TARDIS and on to a normal suburban street. Donna and Lily ran out after him.

"It's fine…" he said, looking around. "Everything's fine."

A milk cart trundled down the road and stopped a short distance away.

"Nothing's wrong." Lily breathed, relived. "It's all fine."

"Excuse me?" the Doctor called to the milkman. "What day is it?"

"Saturday." The man replied.

"Saturday!" the Doctor repeated. "Good!"

He turned to the girls.

"Good, I like Saturdays!" he told them.

"So…I just met Rose Tyler and Lily's Doctor?" Donna asked.

"Yeah." The Doctor replied, still looking around uneasily.

"But they're locked away in parallel worlds." Donna said. "Two different parallel worlds."

"Exactly." The Doctor said, speaking quickly. "If they can cross from their parallel worlds into each other's and then into your parallel world, then that means the walls of the universe are breaking down, which puts everything in danger. Everything."

"But how?" Lily asked. "How can the walls be breaking down?"

The Doctor hurried back into the TARDIS and the girls followed. He ran straight to the console and Donna made Lily sit down.

"The thing is, they're coming back." Donna said. "Rose and the other Doctor are coming back. What does that mean for you two? Cause I can't imagine they're going to be too happy to find that you two are mates."

The Doctor and Lily exchanged a look.

"Loving the Doctor means learning to share him." Lily said finally. "I know he loves me, but I know he loves Rose too. That's the problem with having two hearts. There's room for everyone. We'll just have to figure it out as we go."

The Doctor smiled softly at her.

"Seriously, you're okay with that?" Donna asked.

Lily looked somber.

"I'm dying." She said softly. "There's no way we can get around it. At least with Rose here, I know he won't be alone."

"But what about your Doctor?" Donna asked.

"He's my Doctor." Lily said, pointing to the man in front of her. "I mourned the other Doctor already. Now he's alive. I don't think I have enough time left to figure out where that leaves us."

Donna opened her mouth to say something, but the TARDIS gave an almighty crash and they were all thrown to the floor.

"Ow." Lily said.

"What the hell was that?" Donna demanded.

"It came from outside!" the Doctor said.

He ran to the door as Donna helped Lily up. He threw open the doors and found nothing by space. Lumps of rock floating lazily in the vacuum of space.

The Doctor stood there in shock as the girls joined him.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Lily said, " but didn't there used to be a planet there?"

"We're in space…" Donna marveled. "How did that happen?"

She looked at the Doctor.

"What did you do?" she demanded.

The Doctor ran back to the console and checked the reading, which only served to confuse him more.

"We haven't moved." He told them. "We're fixed."

He paused for a moment.

"It can't have…" he murmured. "No."

He ran back to the door, staring out where Earth used to be.

"The TARDIS is still in the same place, but the Earth is gone." He said. "The entire planet…it's gone!"

* * *

**New York**

Martha Jones lay on the floor, unconscious, among broken and smoking wires, sparks, and the shouts of frightened people. All around her, alarms and chaos reigned.

Martha opened her eyes slowly and lifted her head.

"Confirm all stations online." A man yelled. "Can anyone hear me?"

"What was that?" Martha asked.

"Emergency systems online." A woman called.

"Was there some sort of earthquake, or…?" she asked, standing up.

All around her, the UNIT headquarters she was in had been thrown into disarray.

"Jalandra, are you all right?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Jalandra replied.

"Is anyone hurt?" Martha asked to the room in general.

A woman crossed to the window and pulled up the blinds.

"We've lost power, someone get the lights back on." Martha continued. "DaCosta, see to it right now."

She spotted the woman at the window.

"Suzanne?" she called. "Are you okay?"

"Martha." Suzanne replied. "Look at the sky…"

"Why, what is it?" Martha asked.

"Just look at the sky!" she insisted.

* * *

**Torchwood Hub, Cardiff**

Like UNIT, Torchwood was in disarray.

"Whoa!" Jack said, getting to his feet. "What happened? Must be the rift…"

He ran from his office.

"Gwen?" he yelled. "Ianto? Are you okay?"

Both were in a pile on the floor amidst the mess.

"No broken bones…" Ianto replied as they got up. "Slight loss of dignity. No change there, then."

"The whole city must've felt that!" Gwen said. "The whole of South Wales!"

"I'm gonna take a look outside…" Jack told them before sprinting through the door.

Ianto went over to the computer and pressed a few buttons. He stood there in shock, not believing what he was seeing.

"Little bit bigger than South Wales." He said.

* * *

**Ealing, London**

Sarah Jane Smith lay on the floor of her attic, which had been trashed by the tremor.

"Luke?" she called, scrambling to her feet. "Are you alright?"

She ran to where he was crouched in the corner and pulled him to his feet, making sure he was in one piece."

"Felt like some sort of cross-dimensional spatial transference." He told her anxiously.

"It's night." Sarah Jane said, noticing the dark outside. "It wasn't night! It was eight o'clock in the morning! Mr. Smith, I need you!"

The chimney opened and a computer appeared, complete with musical cues.

"I wish you'd stop giving me that fanfare and just tell me what happened!" She told the computer.

"Sarah Jane, I think you should look outside." Mr. Smith replied. "I think you'll find the visual evidence most conclusive."

She rushed to the window.

* * *

**Chiswick, London**

Wilfred stood holding a bat.

"It's gone dark…" he said. "It's them aliens, I'll bet my pension. What so you want this time, you green swine?" he yelled to the sky.

"Dad…" Sylvia said, gazing at the sky with her mouth open.

"You get back inside, Sylvia." Wilf told her. "They always want the women!"

"No, Dad, just look…" Sylvia said, beginning to panic. "Oh, my God! Look at the sky!"

Wilf joined her and clutched at her hand in horror.

* * *

Sarah Jane and Luke stood outside their house, staring up at the same sky.

"That's impossible!" she said.

* * *

Jack stood outside Torchwood, staring up at the sky.

"That's just impossible…" he whispered.

* * *

Martha and the rest of the UNIT staff stood at the windows, just looking up.

"It can't be…" Martha said.

* * *

The milkman stood staring up at the sky, when, suddenly, a wind billowed around him. He heard the buzz of electricity and saw a flash of blue light. Suddenly a man in a black leather jack and a woman with a huge gun were standing there, looking up at the sky.

They didn't seem to be surprised.

"Now we're in trouble." Nine said.

Rose released the safety on her gun.

"It's only just the beginning…" she replied.

Above them, instead of the normal sky, was a sky full of planets.

* * *

Donna moved around the console in horror.

"But…if the Earth's been moved…they've lost the sun." she said slowly. "What about my mum? And granddad? They're dead? Aren't they? Are they dead?"

"We don't know." Lily told her helplessly as the Doctor continued messing with the computer. "We just don't know. I'm so sorry."

"That's my family." Donna said, horrified. "My whole world."

"There's not readings, nothing." The Doctor said, mystified. "Not a trace. Not even a whisper. Oh, that is…" He straightened, scratching the back of his neck, looking for the right words. "Fearsome technology."

"So what do we do?" Donna asked, her voice trembling.

"We've got to get help." He replied, staring blankly forward.

"No." Lily said.

"From where?" Donna asked.

"It's the only way." The Doctor told Lily.

"Those people are nuts!" Lily said. "They're more likely to arrest us than help us!"

"What are you talking about?" Donna demanded.

Lily threw up her arms in surrender and stalked away.

"What is going on?" Donna shouted.

"Donna…" the Doctor told her. "I'm taking you to the Shadow Proclamation. Hold tight."

He pulled a lever and the column began to rise and fall.

In the background, Lily sat on the jumpseat, rubbing her chest.

* * *

Inside the Torchwood Hub, Ianto was flipping through stations.

"The United Nations have issued an edict asking citizens of the world not to panic. So far, there has been no explanation of the twenty six planets which have appeared in the sky."

_Switch_

"But it's an empirical fact: the planets didn't come to us, we came to them. Just look at the stars-we are in a completely different region of space. We've travelled."

_Switch_

"Do you know what, I look up and there's all these moons and things-have you seen them? Did you see them?"

Shouts of 'yes!' from the audience.

"I thought, what was I drinking last night? Furniture polish?"

Ianto burst out laughing.

Jack looked over at him from the computer he was standing at.

"Ianto!" he said, reprimanding. "There's a time and a place."

"He is funny, though." Ianto said, still laughing as he turned off the monitor.

"Gwen, come and see!" Jack called.

Gwen made her way down the stairs, talking to Rhys on her phone.

"Rhys? I have no idea, just stay indoors." She told him. "And can you phone my mother? Tell her um…oh, I don't know, just tell her to take her pills and go to sleep."

She paused.

"I'm gonna come home as soon as I can." She told him reassuringly. "I promise. I love you…you big idiot."

She smiled as she hung up.

"Someone's established an artificial atmospheric shell keeping the air and holding in the heat." Jack told them.

"Whoever's done this wants the human race alive." Ianto said. "That's a plus."

The three of them were now crowded around a computer showing a 3D diagram of the 26 planets surrounding Earth.

"Twenty seven planets." Ianto continued. "Including Earth."

A flashing red spot appeared amongst the planets.

"No, but what's that?" Gwen asked. "That's not a planet!"

* * *

Mr. Smith was showing a similar model to Sarah Jane, also with the flashing red spot.

"The reading seems to be artificial in construction." He told her.

"Some sort of space-station, sitting in the heart of the web." She said, trying to make sense of it.

"They're fine-Maria and her Dad, they're still in Cornwall." Luke said as he approached. "I told them to stay indoors. And Clyde's all right, he's with his mum."

Sarah Jane rubbed his shoulder encouragingly.

"Sarah Jane, I have detected movement." Mr. Smith announced. "Obsereve."

The red dot had expanded to become a sheet, blanketing the Earth.

"Spaceships!" Luke said.

He grinned excitedly at Sarah Jane, who returned it with a nervous one.

* * *

"Tracking two hundred objects, Earthbound trajectory." General Sanchez said as he walked in. "Geneva is calling a Code Red. Everyone to battle positions. Doctor Jones-"

He looked at Martha, who had her phone to her ear.

"If you're not too busy?" he said.

"I'm trying to phone Lily and the Doctor, Sir." She told him.

"And?" he asked.

"There's no signal." She replied. "This number calls anywhere in the universe. It never breaks down. They must be blocking it."

She looked at the screen.

"Whoever 'they' are." She added.

"We're about to find out." He told her. "They're coming into orbit."

* * *

In the streets, it was absolute anarchy. People were screaming, looting, running. Everywhere was smashed glass, alarms sounding.

Rose and Nine walked out of an alley. A man with a drink spotted Rose and threw his arms wide.

"The end of the world, darlin'!" he called, his speech slurred. "The end of the stinkin' world!"

Nine and Rose exchanged an amused glance.

"Have one on me, mate." Rose called back.

The man moved off and Rose jumped as she heard another window smash behind her and another alarm go off.

She looked at Nine before moving to the electronic store two boys had just broken into.

"Right!" she called. "You two! You can put that stuff down, or run for your lives."

They turned and looked at her as she released the safety.

"Have you guys seen her gun?" Nine asked, grinning madly.

The two boys ran for it and Rose sat down at a computer as Nine stood behind her. She called up the space telemetry and they watched, worried, as the ships approached.

* * *

Sylvia sat watching the news.

"We're now getting confirmed reports of spaceships. The Pentagon has issued an emergency report…"

"Dad." She called. "Come and see. They're saying spaceships."

Wilf entered the room, clutching his phone to his ear.

"Did you find her?" she asked.

"No." he replied, worriedly. "No, there's no reply. Oh, where are you, Donna? Where are you, sweetheart?"

* * *

"Three thousand miles and closing." Gwen said, agitated. "But who are they?"

Jack's phone rang and he checked the caller ID before flipping it open.

"Martha Jones!" he called. "Voice of a nightingale. Tell me you put something in my drink."

* * *

"No such luck." Martha replied, sitting at her desk. "Have you heard from Lily or the Doctor?"

"Not a word." Jack told her. "Where are you?"

"New York." She replied.

"Hm, nice for some." He told her.

"I've been promoted." She told him, getting up and walking across the office. "Medical Director on Project Indigo."

"Did you get that thing working?" Jack asked.

"Indigo's top secret." Martha told him, her brow furrowed. "No one's supposed to know about it."

* * *

"Oh, I met a soldier in a bar." Jack told her. "Long story."

"When was that?" Ianto interjected suspiciously.

"Strictly professional." Jack reassured him.

"Fifteen hundred miles, boys, and accelerating." Gwen said. "They're almost here."

* * *

"I'm receiving communication from the Earthbound ships." Mr. Smith announced. "A message for the human race."

"Put it through." Sarah Jane told him. "Let's hear it."

"EXTERMINATE!" came over the speakers. "EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

* * *

Jack opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he heard the transmission.

"EXTERMINATE!"

* * *

"EXTERMINATE!"

Martha froze, her eyes wide.

"EXTERMINATE!"

* * *

"No." Jack whispered.

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

"Oh, no." he said, trembling.

"What is it?" Gwen asked. "Who are they? Do you know them, Jack?"

Jack didn't answer, he just pulled Gwen and Ianto, kissing both their heads.

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

* * *

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

Luke watched, confused, as his mother shook with terror, silent tears streaming down her cheeks.

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

"No…" Sarah Jane whispered.

* * *

"There's nothing I can do." Jack said hopelessly, holding Ianto and Gwen tight. "I'm sorry, but we're dead."

* * *

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

Sarah Jane pulled Luke to her, holding him tight as she cried.

"Oh, God, you're-you're so young." She said.

* * *

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

Rose and Nine listed to the transmission. She trembled ever so slightly and he clenched his hands. Finally, Rose looked up and him and nodded.

They made their way out into the street.

A/N: First chapter of Stolen Earth. Oh. Dear. Sweet. Lord. Let me know what you think.

Abbey


	54. Stolen Earth: Follow the Path

Disclaimer: Nope, not saying it. You can't make me.

Ch. 54:

Nine and Rose stood looking up at the sky as a Dalek ship descended. It came in low, practically skimming the rooftops, and began firing on the crowded streets.

The two looked at each other before turning and walked off. A blast hit right behind them and they didn't even flinch.

They just walked on.

* * *

"Battle positions!" Sanchez ordered. "Geneva declaring ultimate Code Red. Ladies and Gentlemen, we are at war!"

The staff was thrown to the ground as a blast shook the building.

Martha ran to the window and saw the Dalek ships firing relentlessly as they went.

* * *

The TARDIS shook violently as Lily and the Doctor tried to keep her flying and Donna held on for dear life.

"So, go on then-" Donna called. "What is the Shadow Proclamation, anyway?"

"Posh name for 'police'." The Doctor told her.

"Ha!" Lily said. "Try posh name for 'useless thugs'!"

"Try not to tell them that." The Doctor told her. "I know it's hard, but please try to think before saying things."

"Bite me." Lily replied.

"Maybe later." He told her. "We're here."

The TARDIS lurched and sent them flying to the ground.

Finally it was still.

The Doctor got up and helped Lily to her feet. She stumbled and he caught her.

_Maybe you should stay here._ He told her.

_No._ She replied, shaking her head as if to clear it. _I'm not letting you go out there by yourself._

_I'll have Donna._ He told her.

_I won't let you go without me._ She said. _No matter what, I want to spend what time I have left by your side._

He reached over and brushed her hair back before kissing her forehead.

_All right._ He said. _But lean on Donna if you need help._

_I will._ She replied.

He nodded and moved to the door.

"Come on." Donna said, moving to her side.

Lily smiled and nodded.

The Doctor cautiously opened the door and emerged with Donna and Lily right behind him.

They were greeted by a group of armed Judoon.

"I told you so." Lily muttered as they raised their hands into the air.

"Sco po tro no flow jo ko fo to to." One of the Judoon said.

"No bo ho so ko ro toe so." The Doctor replied.

Donna looked at Lily as if to say 'what the hell'?

"Don't ask." Lily whispered. "Just don't."

"Bo ko do zo go bo fo po jo!" the Doctor continued.

The Judoon their guns.

"Ma ho." The Doctor said as they lowered their arms.

"Show off." Lily muttered.

* * *

The Doctor, Lily, and Donna stood talking to a tall, pale woman, known as the Shadow Architect, in a room guarded by Judoon.

"Time Lords are the stuff of legends." The woman told them skeptically. "They belong in the myths and whispers of the Higher Species. You cannot possibly exist."

"Well, you've got two standing in front of you, so I suggest you suck it up and move on." Lily told her. "Because we're telling you, we've got a missing planet."

"You are not Time Lord." The woman told her.

"Time Lord turned human via chameleon arch." Lily sneered. "You can check my genealogy later, but as the mate of a Time Lord I am given the same rights and privileges as he is, Time Lord or not. So listen to what I am telling you, and find the damn planet."

"Well, the Time Lords must not be as wise as the stories would say." The Architect told them. "The picture is far bigger than you imagine. The whole universe is in outrage. Twenty four worlds have been taken from the sky."

"How many?" the Doctor demanded, incredulous. "Which ones? Show me!"

He ran to the computer and put on his glasses as the Architect pulled up the planets.

"Callufrax Minor," the Doctor read. "Jahoo, Shallacatop, Woman Wept, Clom-"

"Seriously?" Lily interrupted. "Why in God's name would someone want Clom?"

"Good question." The Doctor agreed.

"All different sizes." The Architect told them. "Some populated, some not, but all unconnected."

"What about Pyrovilia?" Donna asked.

"Who is the female?" the Architect asked condescendingly.

"Donna." She replied. "I'm a Human Being. Maybe not the stuff of legend, but every bit as important as Time Lords, thank you."

"You tell 'em girl." Lily said, smiling.

"Damn straight." Donna replied.

The Doctor smiled and shook his head at his girls.

"The point is, way back when we were in Pompeii, Lucius said Pyrovilia had gone missing." Donna told the Doctor.

"Pyrovilia is cold case." One of the Judoon said. "Not relevant."

"What do you mean 'cold case'?" Lily demanded.

"The planet Pyrovilia cannot be part of this." The Architect replied. "It disappeared over two thousand years ago."

"Hang on." Donna said. "But there's the Adipose breeding planet too. Miss Foster said that was lost. But…that must've been a long time ago."

"That's it!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Donna, brilliant! The planets have been taking out of time as well as space."

He tampered with the computer.

"Let's put this in 3D." he said.

The planets appeared in the middle of the room.

"Now, if we add Pyrovilia…" he said, the planet joining the group. "And Adipose 3…" Another planet joined the group.

He stood there, musing.

"There's something missing." He said. "Lily?"

"I see it." She said, walking through the planets.

She turned and smiled at him.

"Got it." She said. "Poosh."

"Poosh?"

He looked at the planets and then grinned at her.

"The Lost Moon of Poosh!" he exclaimed.

He added it and the planets rearranged themselves.

"What did you do?" the Architect demanded.

"Nothing." The Doctor replied. "The planets rearranged themselves into the optimum pattern. Oh…look at that. Twenty seven planets in perfect balance. Come on, that's gorgeous!"

"Oi!" Donna said, snapping him out of it. "Don't get all spaceman. What does it mean?"

"All those worlds fit together like pieces of an engine." The Doctor told her as he and Lily went to stand next to her. "It's like a power house. But what for?"

"Who could design such a thing?" the Architect asked.

"Someone tried to move the Earth once before." The Doctor said. "A long time ago…can't be…"

He looked at Lily, who backed away. Her breathing was shallow and quick.

"No." she gasped. "No. It can't…no…please…no…"

The Doctor moved to her side as she fell to the ground.

* * *

Jack ran to a computer as an alarm began to sound. A voice filtered over the comms.

"The shields are down! There's so many of them! Abandon ship!"

"The Valiant's down!" Jack called, horrified.

"Air Force retreating over North Africa!" Ianto called from another computer. "Daleks landing in Japan."

"We've lost contact with the Prime Minister's plane." Gwen called.

She suddenly looked at Jack.

"Jack!" she called urgently. "Manhattan!"

Jack grabbed his phone.

"Martha, get out of there!" he yelled.

* * *

Martha was wrapping a bandage around someone's head.

"I can't, Jack, I've got a job to do." She told him.

"They're targeting military bases, and you're next on the list." Jack told her. "If I let you die, Lily will never let me forget it."

"Doctor Jones." Sanchez said, coming up behind her. "You will come with me. Project Indigo is being activated."

Martha stared at him, stunned.

"Quick march." He told her.

She got up and followed him and another UNIT soldier.

"But we can't use Project Indigo." She tried to reason with him. "It hasn't been tested, sir, we don't even know if it works!"

Sanchez ignored her and kept walking.

They arrived in front of a vault door and the UNIT soldier opened it. Inside was a backpack device hanging on the wall.

"Put it on." He told Martha. "Fast as you can."

Martha reached for it, but paused when she heard Jack's voice.

"Martha, I'm telling you-don't use Project Indigo!" he called frantically. "It's not safe!"

"You take your orders from UNIT, Doctor Jones, not from Torchwood." Sanchez told her, warningly.

"But why me?" Martha asked, putting the backpack on.

"You are our only hope of finding the Doctor." He told her. "Buy, failing that…if no help is coming…then by the power invested in me by the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, I authorize you to take this."

He handed her what looked to be a digital microchip encased in plastic.

"The Osterhagen Key." He told her.

"I can't take that, sir." Martha whispered fearfully, shaking her head.

"You know what to do." Sanchez insisted. "For the sake of the Human Race."

He closed Martha's unwilling fingers around it. They both turned when they heard the sound of a Dalek beam.

"DALEKS ONE FIVE BREACHING NORTH CORRIDOR. EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

"Doctor Jones…" Sanchez saluted her. "Good luck."

He and the other soldier turned and faced the Dalek, firing.

"EXTERMINATE!"

"Bye, Jack." Martha said in a small voice.

* * *

"Martha!" Jack yelled. "Don't do it!"

* * *

It was too late. She had already pulled the chord and disappeared in a blue flash.

* * *

"DON'T!" Jack screamed.

The line was dead.

Jack lowered the phone from his ear and stared at it before kicking the desk in sheer rage and frustration.

Gwen flinched.

"What's Project Indigo?" Ianto asked.

Jack exhaled and tried to get it back under control.

"Experimental teleport salvaged from the Sontarans." He told them. "But they haven't got coordinates or stabilization!"

"Where is she?" Gwen asked.

"Scattered into atoms." Jack replied.

Gwen stared at him in horror.

"Martha's down." He told them.

* * *

The Doctor and the Shadow Architect were at the computer, at a loss as to where to go now. Donna and Lily sat on the stairs.

Lily had her head between her knees and her hands clasped behind her head, but she sat up when she heard Donna sniff. She turned in time to see her friend wipe a tear from her cheek.

She sighed and wrapped her arm around Donna's shoulders and Donna laid her head on Lily's shoulder.

An servant walked up to them with two cups on saucers.

"You need sustenance." She told them. "Take the water, it purifies."

"Thanks." Donna said dully as she took the cup.

The woman tried to hand the other to Lily, but she shook her head.

"You are ill." The woman said. "Please. Drink. You need your strength."

Lily hesitated before taking it with a nod of thanks.

There was a familiar clicking sound.

"There was something on your back." The woman told Donna.

"How did you know that?" Donna asked, surprised.

"You are something new." She told both women.

"Not me." Donna said. "I'm just a temp. Short hand, filing, a hundred words per minute. Fat lot of good that is now. I'm no use to anyone."

"Don't look at me." Lily said. "I'm the dying vessel of the vortex. I don't have enough time left to be something new."

She laughed humorlessly.

"I'm sorry for your losses." The woman told them.

"Yeah." Donna said. "My whole planet's gone."

"Jack." Lily whispered. "Martha, and Ianto, and Gwen. I've lost my family. Again."

She closed her eyes as tears fell down her cheeks.

"I mean the loss that is yet to come." The woman whispered, as if imparting some secret.

Donna and Lily stared at her and she averted her eyes.

"God save you." She said before leaving.

The Doctor came over and leaned on the banister.

"Donna, come on, think." He said. "Earth. There must've been some sort of warning. Was there anything happening back in your day, like…electrical storms, freak weather, patterns in the sky?"

"Well, how should I know?" Donna asked, so not in the mood. "Um…no. I don't think so, no."

He sighed.

"Oh, okay." He said. "Never mind."

"Although…" Donna said. "There were the bees disappearing."

"The bees disappearing." The Doctor said sarcastically. "The BEES disappearing."

"Don't make me slap you." Lily told him, glaring.

Suddenly, realization dawned on his face.

"Uh oh." Lily said. "He's had a light bulb."

"The bees disappearing!" he yelled, running to the computer.

"How is that significant?" the Shadow Architect asked.

"On Earth, we have these insects." Donna explained as she and Lily joined them. "Some people said it was pollution or mobile phone signals."

"Or…they were going home." The Doctor said.

"Back home where?" Donna asked, staring at him.

"The planet Melissa Majoria." The Doctor replied.

"Are you saying the bees are aliens?" she demanded, turning to Lily.

"Hey, don't look at me." Lily said, holding up her hands. "This all news to me. I just assumed they were flying monkeys of death, put on the Earth to drive me nuts."

"Don't be daft." He told them. "They aren't monkeys of death. Those are on Jomla 3. And not all of the bees are aliens. But if the migrant bees felt something, some sort of danger, and escaped…Tandocca!"

"The Tandocca Scale." The Architect said, beginning to understand.

"Of course." Lily said. "And for the uninitiated? You're going too fast. Poor human brain can't follow. Please slow?"

"The Tandocca Scale is a series of wavelengths used as carrier signals by migrant bees." He explained. "Infinitely small, no wonder we didn't see it. It's like looking for a speck of cinnamon in the Sahara. But look!"

He pointed at the screen.

"There it is!" he told them. "The Tandocca trail."

On the screen was a trail of blue light.

"The transmat that moved the planets was using the same wavelength!" he said. "We can follow the path!"

"And find the Earth!" Donna said, her and Lily already halfway to the TARDIS. "Well, stop talking and do it!"

"I am!" he said, catching up to them.

They ran into the TARDIS and the Doctor darted to the monitor.

"We're a little bit late." He said. "The signal's scattered, but it's a start!"

He ran to the door and stuck his head out.

"I've got a blip!" he told the assembled group. "It's just a blip, but it's definitely a blip."

"Then according to the strictures of the Shadow Proclamation, I will have to seize your transport and your technology." The Shadow Architect told him.

"Oh, really?" the Doctor asked, taken aback. "What for?"

"I told you so." Lily said from behind him. "I told you they were going to arrest us. They're not happy if they're not arresting innocent people."

"The planets were stolen with hostile intent." The Shadow Architect told him. "We are declaring war, Doctor! Right across the universe! And you will lead us into battle!"

"Like hell he-mmfwfm." Lily said, before the Doctor put his hand over her mouth.

"Right." He said. "Yes. Course I will. Just go and…get you a key."

He shut the door and herded Lily up to the console.

"Oh, ye of little faith." He told her.

They joined Donna at the console and he gave a cheeky grin before pulling a lever.

Outside, they could hear the Shadow Architect yelling, but they ignored it.

They were going after Earth.

* * *

The Daleks were herding people out of their homes.

"ALL HUMANS WILL LEAVE THEIR HOMES." A Dalek ordered. "THE MALES, THE FEMALES, THE DESCENDANTS. YOU WILL COME WITH US. RESISTANCE IS USELESS."

"Where are you taking us?" a man demanded as he approached with his wife and son.

"DALEKS DO NOT ANSWER HUMAN QUESTIONS." The Dalek replied. "STAND IN LINE."

Peering around the side of a nearby house were Wilf and Sylvia.

"Dad, please, come home." Sylvia whispered imploringly. "They're leaving our street alone."

"Yeah, I've got a weapon." Wilf told her.

"It's a paint-gun." She replied, unconvinced.

"Exactly." He told her. "Them Dalek things, they've only got one eye. A good splodge of paint, they'd be blinded!"

"We're not going." The man told the Dalek. "Do you hear me?"

He turned to his wife.

"Laura, get back inside the house." He told her. "Simon, get inside. Go!"

The woman and boy ran back in and the man picked up a brick and threw it at the Dalek.

"Get back in the sky!" he shouted angrily.

The Dalek advanced and he ran back to his house.

"DALEK ATTACK FORMATION SEVEN." The Dalek ordered.

Three Daleks lined up on the pavement outside the house.

"MAXIMUM EXTERMINATION!" the Dalek ordered.

Wilf and Sylvia watched in horror as the Daleks fired at the house and it went up in flames.

"They're monsters." Wilf said numbly.

"Please, Dad, come home." Sylvia said, tugging at him, terrified.

He allowed her to pull him along. They hurried around the back of the house, but they came face to face with another Dalek.

"HALT! YOU WILL COME WITH ME."

"Will I, 'eck!" Wilf replied.

He aimed for the eye stalk and fired. A blob of yellow pain landed on the eyepiece with a splat. It looked like it had worked. That is, until the paint boiled away.

"MY VISION IS **NOT** IMPAIRED." The Dalek said.

"I warned you, Dad!" Sylvia said.

"HOSTILITY WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!" the Dalek told them. "EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMIN-"

The top half exploded, leaving a smoldering mess. The smoke cleared and Wilf and Sylvia could see a man and a woman, holding a large gun, standing behind it.

"Do you want to swap?" Wilf asked, holding out his paint gun.

"You're Donna Noble's family, right?" Rose asked as she and Nine walked over to them. "I'm Rose Tyler and this is the Doctor. We need you."

A/N: Second chapter done. Ack, I've never had to do so many point of view. My brain is about to collapse. So let me know it's all worth it. Review!

Abbey


	55. Stolen Earth: Will You Accept The Charge

Disclaimer: I'm begging you. Please let me have it. PLEASE!

Ch. 55:

"I don't understand." Wilf said. "How can you be the Doctor?"

"I'm a different version of the Doctor you know." Nine told him. "Lily used to travel with me, but the Daleks attacked us and I sent her to this Doctor to keep her safe."

"It's complicated." Rose told him. "Just go with it."

"Well, I tried calling her, but I can't get through." Wilf told Rose. "She's still with the Doctor and Lily, I know that much. And the-the last time she phoned, it-it was from a planet called Midnight, made of diamonds."

"What the hell are you three on about?" Sylvia demanded, holding a pot of tea.

"Look, she's out there, sweetheart!" Wilf told his daughter. "Your daughter! She's travelling the stars with that Doctor and Lily. She always has been."

"Don't be ridiculous." Sylvia said, looking at him like he was mad.

"Oh, come on, open your eyes." He replied angrily. "Look at the sky. Look at the-look at the Daleks! You can't start denying things now!"

"You're our last hope." Rose told them. "If we can't find Donna…we can't find the Doctor and Lily."

She turned to Nine.

"Where are they?" she demanded.

* * *

The column was rising and falling and the Doctor, Lily, and Donna held on for support-and then it was still.

"It's stopped…" Lily said.

"What do you mean?" Donna asked. "Is that good or bad? Where are we?"

The Doctor was studying the monitor.

"The Medusa Cascade." He replied. "I came here when I was just a kid. Ninety years old. It was a center of a rift in time and space."

"Koschei talked about it." Lily said. "He said you sealed it."

"I did." The Doctor replied.

"So…where are the twenty seven planets?" Donna asked.

"Nowhere." The Doctor said quietly. "The Tandocca Trail stops dead."

He backed up to one of the support beams and rested his head on it.

"End of the line." He told them.

"So what do we do?" Donna asked.

Lily looked away.

"Doctor?" she asked. "Lily? What do we do?"

Neither one said anything.

"Don't do this to me." Donna pleaded. "No, don't. Don't do this to me. Not now. Tell me what we're going to do!"

Still they said nothing.

"You two never give up!" Donna said, her voice shaking. "Please!"

Still they said nothing.

Donna put her hands over her mouth, despairing.

* * *

Gwen was sitting on the sofa, just waiting. A transmission filtered in over the screech of the Daleks.

"This is the Commander General of the United Nations calling the Dalek fleet. We surrender. Repeat: we surrender."

Ianto put down a tray of coffee and sat heavily on a chair.

"Planet Earth surrenders."

Jack sat on the floor with his back against the wall and his knees drawn up to his chest, clutching his phone.

"You know," Gwen said, chuckling slightly. "If Lily were here, she'd be bitching that guy out for even considering surrender to the Daleks. And the Doctor would be trying to get her off the radio, if only so he could yell at the Daleks."

Ianto smiled at the thought.

"Yeah, well they're not here." Jack said, making them all somber again.

"Yeah." Gwen agreed softly.

"HUMANS SELECTED FOR TESTING WILL FOLLOW DALEK INSTRUCTIONS."

* * *

Sarah Jane sat with her arm around Luke.

"THE DALEKS REIGN SUPREME. ALL HAIL THE DALEKS!"

A shuddering breath escaped her and she closed her eyes in despair.

* * *

Wilf sat with his arm around Sylvia as they huddled together in an armchair. He kissed her forehead as she cried quietly.

"YOU WILL OBEY DALEK INSTRUCTION WITHOUT QUESTION." They heard from outside. "YOU WILL OBEY YOUR DALEK MA-"

They were distracted by a loud beeping noise. They looked around and realized the laptop had sprung to life, displaying white noise and a voice trying to get through.

"Can anyone hear me?" it called. "The subwave network is open, you should be able to hear my voice…"

Rose went to the laptop in surprise.

"Is there anyone there?" they continued.

"I know that voice…!" she said, kneeling in front of the laptop.

* * *

"Who's that?" Luke asked, hearing the voice.

"Some poor soul calling for help." Sarah Jane replied helplessly. "There's nothing we can do."

"But look at Mr. Smith!" Luke protested.

"Processing incoming subwave." The computer announced.

He displayed the vague outline of someone, buried in white noise.

* * *

Gwen jumped to her feet, also having heard the voice.

"This message is of the utmost importance." It continued. "We haven't much time. Can anyone hear me?"

"Someone's trying to get in touch." Gwen said, moving to the computer.

"The whole world's crying out." Jack said quietly. "Just leave it."

"Captain Jack Harkness!" the voice said, reprimanding. "Shame on you!"

The image was slowly clearing and Ianto jumped to his feet and Jack sat up straighter.

"Now, stand to attention, sir!" the voice ordered.

"What?" Jack demanded, running to the computer. "Who is that?"

The image cleared completely. A woman sat in front of the computer, flashing an ID.

"Harriet Jones, Former Prime Minister." She announced.

"Yeah," Jack said, smiling. "I know who you are."

* * *

"Harriet!" Rose yelled at the screen. "It's me, it's me! Oh, she can't hear me-"

She turned to look at Wilf.

"Have you got a webcam?" she asked.

"No. She wouldn't let me." He told her, gesturing at Sylvia. "She said they're naughty."

"Well," Rose said, turning back to the laptop, "I can't speak to her then, can I?"

* * *

"Sarah Jane Smith, 13 Bannerman Road." Harriet called. "Are you there?"

"Yeah!" Sarah Jane called, jumping to her feet. "Yeah, I'm here! It's me!"

"Good!" Harriet replied. "Now, let's see if we can talk to each other."

Suddenly, four squares appeared. The first held Harriet's image, the second held Jack's, and the third was Sarah Jane. The fourth though, held only white noise.

"The fourth contact seems to be having some trouble getting through." Harriet told them.

* * *

"That's me!" Rose called. "Harriet, that's me!"

"I'll just boost the signal." Harriet said.

She did so, and Martha appeared in the fourth square.

"Hello?" she called.

Gwen, Ianto, and Jack all laughed with relief.

"Martha Jones!" Jack yelled with delight.

* * *

"Who's she?" Rose demanded. "I want to get through!"

Nine laughed.

"What's so funny?" she demanded.

"It seems that Lily wasn't content to lose her family." He said, still chuckling. "Martha Jones-Smith, along with Gwen Harkness-" he pointed to the woman on the screen, "and Donna Noble, were Lily's three closest girl friends."

He laughed again.

"She went out and found them all!" he marveled.

"Martha, where are you?" Jack called.

"I guess Project Indigo was more clever than we thought." Martha told him.

* * *

Martha was sitting in her home.

"One second I was in Manhattan-" she told them. "Next second- Maybe Indigo tapped into my mind, because I ended up in the one place that I wanted to be."

"You came home." Francine said, standing behind her daughter. "At the end of the world, you came back to me."

She and Martha smiled at eachother.

"But all of a sudden, it's like…the laptop turned itself on?" Martha said, confused.

"It did." Harriet replied.

"That was me." She said, flashing her ID again. "Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister."

"Yes," Martha said, smiling. "I know who you are."

"I thought it was about time we all met, given the current crisis." Harriet said. "Torchwood-this is Sarah Jane Smith."

"I've been following your work." Jack told her. "Nice job with Slitheen."

"Yeah, well, I've been staying away from you lot." She replied. "Too many guns."

She nodded towards Luke.

"All the same…" Jack said. "Might I say, looking good, ma'am."

"Really?" Sarah Jane said, pleased. "Oo!"

Martha smiled.

"Gwen, Ianto?" She called. "As Lily's stand in, I now ask you to hit Jack upside the head."

"OW!" came the respose.

"Thank you." Martha called.

Ianto's face came into shot.

"No problem what so ever." He told her. "It's our duty to keep him in line when Lily's not around."

"If we could all focus?" Harriet asked wearily, but obviously amused by their antics.

She focused on Martha.

"And Martha Jones, former companion to the Doctor." Harriet continued.

* * *

"Oi!" Rose called indignantly. "So was I!"

"She can't hear you." Nine pointed out.

"Shut it." She shot back.

* * *

"But how did you find me?" Martha asked.

"This, ladies and gentlemen, this is the subwave network." Harriet told them. "A sentient piece of software programmed to seek out anyone and everyone who can help contact the Doctor."

"What if the Daleks can hear us?" Martha asked nervously.

"No!" Harriet replied. "That's the beauty of the subwave. It's undetectable."

"And…you invented it?" Sarah Jane asked, obviously impressed.

"I developed it." Harriet told her. "It was created by the Mr. Copper Foundation."

"Yeah, but what we need right now is a weapon." Jack said. "Martha, back there at UNIT, what did they give you? What was that key thing?"

"The Osterhagen Key." She told them, holding it up so they could see it.

"That key is not to be used, Doctor Jones." Harriet ordered. "Not under any circumstances."

"But what is an Osterhagen Key?" Jack asked.

"Forget about the key!" Harriet said. "And that's an order. All we need is the Doctor."

"And Lily." Jack added.

"I haven't met Miss Carter, but the Doctor is the important one." Harriet said.

"Then you obviously haven't met Lily." Jack told her. "Five and a half feet of pure terror? Able to stop the Doctor at ten paces with just a stare? Only thing in the universe than a Dalek is Lily when she's pissed off at you. And then, God help anything that gets in her way."

"Lily is just as important to this as the Doctor is." Martha agreed. "That is if she's still with us."

"What do you mean?" Jack demanded.

"They didn't call you?" Martha asked.

* * *

"What are they talking about?" Nine demanded.

He moved so he was next to Rose in front of the computer.

* * *

"They called me from Midnight." Martha told him seriously. "Lily had to call up the Dark Phoenix to save the Doctor."

"No." Jack whispered.

Martha nodded.

"Her body's failing." She told him. "They didn't think she had more than a few days, a week tops. They were going to go on one last trip, and then the Doctor was going to bring her back to us. So we could be with her when…"

Jack closed his eyes.

* * *

"That stupid girl." Nine growled. "Why didn't she just open the watch?"

He turned and glared at Rose.

"If your Doctor has let her die, I will destroy him." He told her.

Rose glared right back at him.

"He wouldn't just let her die." Wilf interjected.

They both turned to look at him.

"He loves her." Wilf explained. "And she loves him. Donna said they were mates?"

Rose and Nine exchanged a look.

* * *

"So, Lily Carter may be out of the picture." Harriet said. "We need the Doctor."

"Excuse me," Sarah Jane interjected. "I haven't even heard of Lily, but, Harriet, well, the thing is…if you're looking for the Doctor, didn't he depose you?"

"He did." Harriet replied. "And I've wondered about that for a long time, whether I was wrong. But I stand by my actions to this day, because I knew-I knew that one day, the Earth would be in danger and the Doctor would fail to appear. I told him so myself, and he didn't listen."

"But I've been trying to find them." Martha said. "The Doctor has my phone on the TARDIS and they've got Lily's and I can't get through on either."

* * *

"Nor me, and I was here first." Rose said, peeved.

Nine shook his head at her.

* * *

"That's why we need the subwave." Harriet told them. "To bring us all together. Combined forces. The Doctor's secret army."

"Wait a minute." Jack said. "We boost the signal-that's it! We transmit that telephone number through Torchwood itself, using all the power of the rift…"

"And we've got Mr. Smith!" Luke added.

Jack exchanged an amused look with Gwen and Ianto.

"He can link up with every telephone exchange on the Earth." Luke continued.

Martha and Francine glanced at each other, smiling.

"He can get the whole world to call the same number, all at the same time." Luke told them. "Billions of phones calling out all at once!"

"Ha ha, brilliant!" Jack called. "Who's the kid?"

"That's my son!" Sarah Jane told them, proudly.

"Excuse me. Sorry." Ianto said, shuffling in front of Jack. "Sorry. Hello. Ianto Jones. Um, if we start transmitting, then the subwave network is going to become…visible. I mean to the…Daleks."

"Yes, and they'll trace it back to me." Harriet replied. "But my life doesn't matter. Not if it saves the Earth."

Jack stood to attention and saluted.

"Ma'am."

"Thank you, Captain." She said. "But there are people out there, dying. On the streets."

* * *

"Ah, marvelous woman." Wilf said. "I voted for her."

"You did not!" Sylvia shot back.

* * *

"Now, enough of words." Harriet said. "Let's begin."

She placed her hands on the keyboards and began typing.

* * *

Sarah Jane and Luke shared an excited look.

* * *

Torchwood 3 burst into action, running from place to place.

"Rift power activated." Jack called.

"All terminals coordinated." Gwen replied.

She ran to help Ianto connect a bunch of cables to the main tower.

"National Grid online." Ianto announced. "Giving you everything we've got!"

* * *

Sarah Jane and Luke were busy at Mr. Smith's controls.

"Connecting you to Mr. Smith!" Sarah Jane told them.

"All telephone networks combined!" Luke announced.

* * *

Martha picked up her phone.

"Sending you the number…now!"

She hit enter and the phone began to dial.

* * *

"Opening subwave network to maximum." Harriet said.

* * *

Sarah Jane and Luke took a step back.

"Mr. Smith." Sarah Jane said. "Make that call."

"Calling…the Doctor." Mr. Smith announced.

* * *

"So am I." Rose said, pulling out her phone.

* * *

"And…sending!" Jack called.

He pulled a lever and stood back as a ring of electric blue light traveled up the tower.

* * *

Inside the TARDIS, there was a bleeping a moment before the phone began to ring.

"PHONE!" he yelled, snapping out of his helplessness.

"Doctor, phone!" Donna said at the same moment.

The Doctor grabbed it and answered it.

"Martha?" he called. "Is that you?"

He listened for a moment.

"It's a signal…" he said.

"Can we follow it?" Donna asked.

The Doctor pulled out his stethoscope.

"Oh, just watch me." He said.

Lily laughed and grabbed Donna in a hug.

He put the phone in front of the monitor and pressed his stethoscope to it.

A/N: Third chapter done. I feel all weepy again, just like I was when I watched it on TV. This is horrible. So, let me know what you think.

Abbey


	56. Stolen Earth: Never Enough Time

Disclaimer: If I owned Doctor Who, Lily would be a real character, with an actress playing her, not a voice in my head, driving me nuts.

Ch. 56:

Equipment exploded. Everywhere in the Hub was totally chaos.

"I think we've got a fix!" Jack yelled over the racket.

* * *

"Mr. Smith now at two hundred percent!" Sarah Jane called.

She and Luke jumped back as sparks flew from Mr. Smith.

"Oh, come on, Doctor!" she said impatiently.

* * *

Rose, Wilf, and Sylvia all had their phones out, dialing the number. Rose held hers above her head.

"Find me, Doctor." She whispered. "Find me."

* * *

"Got it!" the Doctor shouted. "Locking on!"

He pulled a lever and they all fell down as sparks flew from the console.

* * *

Jack gestured for Ianto to take his place at the terminal.

"Harriet, a source has locked onto your location." Gwen called. "They've found you."

* * *

"I know." Harriet replied. "I'm using the network to mask your transmission. Keep going!"

"EXTERMINAE!"

The Daleks blew a hole in the side of her house, but Harriet didn't stop. She just kept working.

* * *

Gwen followed her lead.

* * *

The whole console burst into flames.

"You know, we may actually destroy her this time!" Lily shouted, holding on for dear life.

"We're traveling through time!" the Doctor shouted over the noise. "One second in the future! The phone call's pulling us through!"

* * *

Harriet pressed on final key.

"Captain, I'm transferring the subwave network to Torchwood." She called. "You're in charge, now. And tell the Doctor from me: he chose his companions well."

Jack nodded with a sad smile.

"It's been an honor." She told them.

Three Daleks smashed through the window of her house. She stood to meet them. Striding forward, she flashed her ID.

"Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister." She announced.

"YES, WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE." One replied.

"Oh, you know nothing of any human." She told them. "And that will be your downfall."

There was a pause.

"EXTERMINATE!"

Harriet was gone. All that was left was white noise.

* * *

"THREE!" the Doctor shouted. "TWO! ONE!"

The Doctor, Lily, and Donna all held on tight, screaming.

The fire finally died down and the TARDIS stopped shaking.

"Please don't let the last thing I hear in this life be the TARDIS shouting obscenities." Lily prayed to no one in particular.

The three pulled themselves up to stare at the monitor. They began to grin when they realized they'd made it.

"The twenty seven planets!" Donna marveled. "And there's the Earth! But why couldn't we see it?"

"The entire Medusa Cascade has been put a second out of sync with the rest of the universe." The Doctor told her. "Perfect hiding place, tiny little pocket of time. But we found them!"

There was a whirring sound and the screen blurred.

"Oh, oh…what's that?" the Doctor said. "Hold on, hold on…"

He turned a knob and peered at the monitor.

"Some sort of…subwave network." He said.

The image cleared and The Doctor, Lily, and Donna took Harriet's place in the grid.

"Jack!" Lily shouted happily. "Martha! You guys are okay!"

"Lily!" Jack yelled. "You're still with us?"

"For the moment." Lily replied. "Though the Doctor is doing his level best to kill me with his driving."

"Oi!" the Doctor yelled. "I did just fine, thank you very much."

"The console burst into flames!" Lily shot back. "Actual, honest to God, fire! If that's doing just fine, we have a big problem."

"Yes, we do." Jack said, interrupting. "But that's not it. Guys, it's the Daleks!"

"It's the Daleks!" Sarah Jane said at the same moment. "They're taking people to their spaceships!"

"But it's not just Dalek Caan!" Martha added.

The others all began to talk at once and Lily and the Doctor watched with growing smiles.

* * *

"That's Donna!" Sylvia said, spotting her.

"That's my girl!" Wilf said proudly.

Rose and Nine didn't say anything.

* * *

"Lily, you guys alright?" Gwen butted in, Ianto right next to her.

"Fine, Gwen." Lily told her. "Where's Owen and Tosh?"

The Torchwood team exchanged uneasy glances.

"Guys?" Lily asked again. "Where's Owen and Tosh?"

"They're dead, Lils." Jack told her.

Lily's hand flew to her mouth.

"The Daleks?" she whispered.

"No." Jack said, looking down. "Gray."

Lily stared at him.

"We must have a bad connection, because I could've sworn you just told me that your presumed dead brother, Gray, killed Tosh and Owen." Lily said.

"I'll explain later." Jack told her. "I promise."

"You better." Lily said.

She took a deep breath and refocused.

"So, mind introducing the last member of this merry band?" she asked the Doctor.

"Sarah Jane, Lily Carter." He said, beaming at the woman. "I don't know who the boy is."

* * *

Rose had a half smile on her face, watching him.

"Look at you all, you clever people!" The Doctor said fondly.

* * *

"Martha, you okay?" Lily called. "Francine?"

"Yep." Martha replied. "We're both fine."

"That's great." Lily said, smiling.

"And that's the famous Captain Jack?" Donna asked, pointing.

"Do not make me lock in you in the bowels of the TARDIS." Lily told her sternly.

* * *

Rose and Nine didn't take their eyes off the Doctor and Lily.

"Doctor, it's me." Rose called quietly. "I came back."

* * *

Lily stiffened.

"It's like…an outer-space Facebook!"

"There's someone missing." Lily murmured.

"Yeah." The Doctor agreed quietly.

"No." she said, louder. "There's someone who isn't coming through."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked her. "This is everyone who was here to begin with, except for Harriet Jones, and she was killed by the Daleks."

"Really?" the Doctor asked.

"No, I'm telling you, someone is out there that isn't on this network!" Lily insisted.

She closed her eyes, murmuring to herself.

"There's Jack. The Doctor. Who is that?" she was whispering.

"Doctor?" Martha called.

"Don't look at me." He told them, studying his mate. "I have no idea what's going on."

"Bad Wolf." She murmured.

* * *

"What is she talking about?" Rose demanded.

Nine was studying her.

"She's recognizing you as someone similar to her." He told her. "The Bad Wolf in you must be calling to the Dark Phoenix in her."

"But how is that possible?" Rose demanded. "The Doctor took the power out of me."

"But once that kind of power touches you, it changes you forever." He told her. "Otherwise you wouldn't have been able to send him the message."

Rose turned back to the computer.

"Come on, Lily." She whispered. "Find me. Come on."

* * *

Lily's face was scrunched up as she concentrated.

"What about the Bad Wolf?" The Doctor demanded.

They were distracted, though, when the screen turned to white noise.

"Ah…" the Doctor said.

"We've lost them!" Donna cried.

"No, no, no, no, no!" the Doctor said. "There's another signal coming through, there's someone else out there!"

He bashed the top of the monitor.

"Hello?" he called. "Can you hear me?"

"Rose?" Lily called hopefully. "Doctor?"

They watched the monitor breathlessly.

"Your voice is different, and yet, its arrogance is unchanged."

The Doctor froze and a second later Lily gasped.

"No." Sarah Jane whispered, horrified. "But he's dead."

A form came out of the dark and revealed its self to be an emancipated form in a wheel chair.

"Welcome…" Davros said. "To my new Empire, Doctor."

The Doctor took a step back, his face full of revulsion.

"It is only fitting that you should bear witness to the resurrection and the triumph of Davros, Lord and Creator of the Dalek Race."

The Doctor seemed frozen.

"Doctor?" Donna asked.

"Have you nothing to say?" Davros taunted.

"Doctor." Lily said quietly. "You need to say something."

"But you were destroyed." The Doctor said numbly. "In the very first year of the Time War, at the Gate of Elysiem. I saw your command ship flying into the jaws of the Nightmare Child. I tried to save you…"

"But it took one stronger than you." Davros said. "Dalek Caan himself."

"I flew into the wild and fire." Came Dalek Caan's insane voice. "I danced and died a thousand times!"

"He's insane." Lily murmured.

"Emergency temporal shift took him back into the Time War itself." Davros said.

"But that's impossible!" the Doctor told him angrily. "The entire War is time-locked."

"And yet, he succeeded." Davros replied. "Oh, it cost him his mind, but imagine-a single, simple Dalek succeeded where Emperors and Time Lords have failed. A testament, don't you think, to my remarkable creations?"

"And you made a new race of Daleks." The Doctor said.

"I gave myself to them." Davros said. "Quite literally. Each one grown from a cell of my own body."

He pulled back his jacket to show them his chest, rotted and devoid of flesh so his ribs and heart were visible.

Lily looked away in disgust.

"New Daleks." He said. "True Daleks. I have my children, Doctor. What do you have, now?"

"After all this time…everything we saw, everything we lost…" the Doctor said. "I have only one thing to say to you."

He paused.

"BYE!" he shouted manically.

He pulled a lever, cutting Davros off, and the TARDIS hurtled towards Earth.

* * *

Jack was running around, his phone to his ear.

"Gwen!" Ianto called. "Dalek saucer heading for the Bay. They've found us!"

"Martha, open that Indigo device!" Jack called over the phone. "Now, listen to me: lift the central panel. There's a string of numbers that keep changing."

He reached down and picked up a large gun.

"But the fourth number keeps oscillating between two different digits." He told her. "Tell me what they are."

"It's a four and a nine." She told him. "We could never work out what that was."

Ianto helped him put on his jacket.

"That's the teleport base-code." He told her gleefully. "And that's all I need to get this thing working again."

He adjusted his Vortex Manipulator accordingly.

"Oscillating four…and nine." He said. "Thank you, Martha Jones."

He flipped his phone shut and Gwen handed him his gun.

"I've gotta go." He told them. "I've got to find the Doctor and Lily."

Gwen and Ianto were silent.

"I'll come back." He told them reassuringly.

They didn't answer.

"I'm coming back!" he told them.

"Don't worry about us." Gwen told him. "Just go."

"We'll be fine." Ianto told him.

"You'd better be." Jack replied before teleporting out.

There was a large crash above them and they clung to each other fearfully. They crept forward silently, listening.

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!" Came from above them and they froze.

"They're here." Gwen said resignedly.

* * *

"TARDIS heading for vector seven." Mr. Smith told them. "Grid reference: 665…"

"There are Daleks out there!" Luke protested as his mother raced around.

"I know." She said, pulling on her coat. "I'm sorry, but I've got to find the Doctor!"

She quickly grabbed her keys.

"Don't move." She told him. "Don't leave the house. Don't do anything."

"I will protect the boy, Sarah Jane." Mr. Smith told her.

"I love you." She told Luke. "Remember that."

With a stifled sob, she left.

She quickly ran downstairs and got in her car, peeling off in a hurry.

* * *

Rose and Nine were also getting ready to go.

Rose was on her phone.

"Control?" she called. "I need another shift. Lock us onto the TARDIS. Now."

She closed the phone and faced Wilf and Sylvia.

"Right!" She said. "We're gonna find them. Wish us luck!"

"Oh, good luck!" Sylvia said.

"Yeah, good luck, sweetheart!" Wilf replied.

Rose and Nine disappeared in a blinding blue flash of light.

* * *

The Doctor, Lily, and Donna walked out of the TARDIS onto an empty road.

"It's like a ghost town." Donna said, unsettled.

"That woman, Sarah Jane?" Lily said. "She said they were taking people. That's not like the Daleks. Why would they do that?"

"Think Donna." The Doctor said, turning to her. "When you met Rose and the other Doctor in that parallel world, what did she say?"

"Just…the darkness is coming." Donna replied.

The Doctor caught Lily moving out of the corner of his eye and looked at her. She was looking over his shoulder.

"Why don't we ask them ourselves?" she said quietly.

He looked at her, confused and she nodded her head behind him.

He turned and saw Rose and Nine walking down the road. He just stood there in shock.

"Go." Lily said, standing at his side.

He looked at her.

"I love you." She told him. "And you love me. And you love her. And a part of me still loves him. It's confusing and messed up, but right now, you need to go to her. We'll figure the rest out later."

He reached over and squeezed her hand.

"I do love you." He told her gently.

She smiled.

"I know." She replied. "Not stop making the girl wait."

He squeezed her hand one last time before letting go. He started to walk towards Rose, but a second later he was full out running. He was almost there.

"EXTERMINATE!"

"NO!" Lily screamed.

The bolt grazed the Doctor and he fell to the ground. A second later, Lily's eyes went pure gold as Jack appeared in a flash of light. Before Jack could fire a shot, the Dalek was surrounded in gold light. But instead of disintergrating, it…collapsed in on its self. And it kept collapsing, screaming all the while, until there was nothing left.

Lily fell to her knees and Donna and Nine ran to her side, while Jack and Rose kneeled next to the Doctor.

"I've got you." Rose told him. "It missed you. Look!"

She smiled shakily.

"It's me, Doctor." She told him.

* * *

"You stupid girl." Nine told Lily as he pulled her into his arms. "Why did you do that?"

"Hello to you too." She said weakly. "You let me think you were dead for two years and I don't even get a hello. Figures."

"Hi, Lily." He said softly.

"Hi." She replied.

* * *

"Rose." The Doctor said weakly.

"Hi." She whispered.

"Long time no see." He said.

"Yeah." She replied mildly. "Been busy, you know."

The Doctor convulsed.

* * *

"Help me up." Lily said.

"You need to stay still." Donna told her.

"I need to get to the Doctor." Lily shot back. "Help me up."

Nine sighed and did as she asked.

* * *

"Don't die." Rose begged frantically. "Oh, my God, don't die. Oh, my God, don't die."

"Get them into the TARDIS, quick." Jack ordered. "Move!"

He and Rose got the Doctor up and moving, while Nine and Donna moved Lily in.

* * *

Gwen emerged with two guns.

"But they don't work against Daleks." Ianto pointed out.

"Yeah?" Gwen replied. "Well, I'm going out fighting. Like Owen, like Tosh. How about you?"

She held out the gun and a second later, he took it.

"Yes, ma'am." Ianto said.

"EXTERMINATE!"

* * *

Rose and Jack laid the Doctor down on the floor of the TARDIS while Nine helped Lily stand because she refused to sit. She finally got him to let go and stumbled to kneel on the opposite side of the Doctor from Rose.

"Hey, Time Lord moron." She said weakly. "You're not supposed to die before me, remember?"

"I think…we may end up…dying together." He told her, chuckling weakly.

"What-what do we do?" Donna demanded. "There must be some medicine or something!"

Jack threw his gun down on the seat.

"Just step back." He ordered. "Rose! Lily! Do as I say and get back!"

The girls ignored him.

"He's dying, and you know what happens next." Jack told them pulling Rose away.

He reached for Lily, but she pulled away.

"Bite me Jack Harkness." She hissed. "I won't leave him."

"Lily." The Doctor said softly.

"No." she replied, tears streaming down her face.

"It's your turn." He told her. "Go to him."

She turned and looked at Nine before turning back to the Doctor. Not caring, she leaned down and kissed him swiftly.

"I love you." She told him.

He reached up and caressed her cheek.

"Go." He told her.

She weakly got to her feet and stumbled back to Nine, who wrapped an arm around her to support her.

"What do you mean?" Donna demanded. "What's happening?"

"But you can't…" Rose whispered. "Not now, I came all this way."

"What do you mean?" Donna asked frantically. "What happens next?"

The Doctor pulled himself to his feet and looked at his hand. It was glowing.

"It's starting." He told them.

His eyes locked on Lily's.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

He groaned as his whole body started to glow.

* * *

Sarah Jane's car skidded around a corner and she almost hit two Daleks.

"ALL HUMAN TRANSPORT IS FORBIDDEN!" one told her.

"No!" she yelled, raising her hands. "I surrender, I'm sorry!"

"DALEKS DO NOT ACCEPT APOLOGIES. YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED."

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

Sarah Jane threw her arms over her face.

* * *

The Daleks broke into the hub and as the doors opened, they were met with a hail of gun fire from Ianto and Gwen and a feral roar from the latter.

* * *

Jack moved Rose further back from the Doctor.

"Here we go!" Jack said. "Good luck, Doctor!"

Jack wrapped his arms around Rose and Donna and Nine and Lily stood next to them.

"Will someone please tell me what is going on?" Donna demanded.

"Remember what we wanted to happen if the watch ever opened for me?" Lily asked her weakly.

"You thought your body could repair its self." Donna replied. "If you were a Time Lord again, that is."

"Well, it's happening." Lily told her. "Just to the wrong Time Lord."

"You can't." Rose whispered.

"I'm sorry." He told her, both Rose and Lily. "It's too late. I'm regenerating!"

He threw his head back and his whole body was engulfed in gold light. Donna, Rose, and Jack hid their eyes, while Lily and Nine watched, waiting to see what would come next.

A/N: Stolen Earth is done. I think I might actually cry during the writing of Journey's End. Fair warning, a lot will be changed in it. It'll be the same basic story, but people's roles are going to change. Let me know what you think!

Abbey

P.S: I got an international review today! It was in French! How cool is that?


	57. Journey's End: Borrowed Time

Disclaimer: I own the TARDIS and everything within.

Ch. 57:

Gold energy was bursting from the Doctor when suddenly, the energy was directed at his hand sitting below the console. Finally, when the energy left the Doctor and left his hand glowing, the Doctor stumbled back.

He was still the same.

Rose and Donna gaped while Lily breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now, then." He said. "Where were we?"

He darted to the console while the rest stared at him.

* * *

Sarah Jane's arms were covering her face as she waited for the shot from the Daleks.

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

There was a bright flash, and a young man and an older woman appeared, both holding large guns. They opened fire, blowing the Daleks away.

Sarah Jane got out of her car shakily.

"Mickey…!" she said, surprised.

Mickey Smith turned and grinned at her.

"Us Smiths have got to stick together." He told her.

"Jackie Tyler, Rose's mum." The woman introduced herself. "Now, where the hell is my daughter?"

* * *

Gwen and Ianto fired until they had nothing left, and only then did they notice something strange.

The bullets were hanging in mid-air in front of the Dalek.

They crept forward and Gwen tried to touch one, but the air rippled as if her finger had come into contact with some kind of wall.

"…what the hell?" Gwen asked, awed.

* * *

The Doctor got down on the floor and looked at his hand, which was still glowing and bubbling.

"There, now." He said softly.

He blew gently on it and it calmed down. He smiled and sat up.

"You see?" he said. "Used the regeneration energy to heal myself, but as soon as that was done, I didn't need to change. I didn't want to, why would I? Look at me!"

He tweaked his tie.

"So, to stop the energy going all the way, I siphoned off the rest into a handy bio-matching receptacle-namely, my hand." He continued. "My hand, there. My handy spare hand."

He stood up and turned to Rose.

"Remember?" he told her. "Christmas Day? Sycorax? Lost my hand in a sword fight? That's my hand!"

Rose looked at the hand and then back at him.

"What do you think?" he asked her.

"And…you're still you?" she asked, edging towards him.

"I'm still me." He assured her.

She grabbed him in a tight hug that he quickly returned.

"You can hug me, if you want." Donna told Jack.

Jack laughed.

"No, really." Donna told him seriously. "You can hug me."

"Lily?" Nine said, suddenly.

They all turned to see him lowering her to the ground.

"Sorry to break up the celebration." She said weakly.

The Doctor quickly moved to her side.

"Guess crushing Daleks wasn't such a good idea." She told him, her chuckle turning into a cough.

"You've got to stop doing that." He told her, pulling out his stethoscope. "Not that it isn't fun to watch, but it doesn't seem to do much for your health."

"Well, I couldn't save you." She told him. "Had to make 'em pay. Besides, you're more important than me. Couldn't let it get in a second shot."

"Hey." He told her sternly. "I thought we had gone over this. In no time, place, or universe, is your life less important than mine. Not to me."

She smiled before hissing through her teeth. He checked her vitals and closed his eyes.

"My heart's stopping." She said softly.

"No." the Doctor said viciously. "I'll keep it going. You've got to keep going."

"You don't get to make that decision." She told him. "You can't save everyone. Not even me."

"Yes I can." he said stubbornly.

"Were that it were true." she replied weakly.

"You can't leave." Nine told her. "I just made it back to you."

"Yeah, you really do have the worst timing, don't you?" she replied.

The Doctor picked her up and moved her to the jump seat.

"You have to keep going, do you hear me?" he told her desperately.

She rested her hand on his cheek.

"We knew this was coming." She told him. "You have to let me go."

"I can't." he whispered.

"Can't we do something?" Rose asked.

Lily smiled at her.

"We've done everything there is to do." She told her.

"The Dark Phoenix." Donna said suddenly.

They all turned to look at her.

"She gave Lily's body strength to keep going before." She said. "Why can't she do it again?"

"She doesn't have enough power to call the Phoenix." The Doctor told her.

"That's not…quiet true." Lily said weakly.

The Doctor turned back to her.

"I don't have the power because we're chemically blocking my power." Lily said.

"Because the power is damaging your body." He replied.

"Give me the antidote." Lily told him.

"What?" he demanded.

"Just do it." She said. "I have an idea. If it doesn't work, nothing lost. If it does, I might get a few more hours. So do what I tell you, and give me the damn antidote. I know you made one."

The Doctor hesitated a second before running to his coat and pulling out a vial and coming back.

Lily took it from him and took a deep breath.

"If this works, you're going to want to stand back." She told them.

"Lily…" the Doctor said.

"Go." She told him.

He kissed her forehead and stepped back.

Lily looked at Nine who was still standing next to her.

"Did you think I meant everyone but you?" she asked.

"You're so different." He said.

"Yeah, well that's what you get for leaving." She told him. "I grew up."

He stared at her for a moment before backing up.

Lily measured out the dose and put the needle to her skin before pulling it away.

"I just…" she sighed. "I need to say…If this doesn't work…Take care of each other, yeah?"

She put the needle back before pulling it away again.

"And make sure you kick the Daleks' asses." She ordered.

She put the needle back and pulled it away again.

"Lils, you're going to die in the time it takes you to finally stick the needle in your damn arm if you don't hurry up!" Jack said, frustrated.

Lily sighed, closed her eyes, and jammed the needle in her arm.

A second later the needle fell out of her arm and she was still.

"No…" Donna whispered, turning her face into Jack's chest as he wrapped his arm around her.

Nine closed his eyes and Rose reached over and squeezed the Doctor's hand.

The Doctor stared at Lily's still body.

Suddenly, a faint glow surrounded her body.

"Doctor…" Rose said softly.

They all jumped as Lily's body convulsed and fell off the seat.

Jack tried to move towards her, but both the Doctor and Nine stopped him.

The light grew and quickly engulfed her body. The light grew and they heard a loud noise. Finally, they realized it was Lily screaming.

* * *

Gwen and Ianto were at a computer terminal, looking for the reason behind the amazing frozen bullets.

"It's a time lock." Ianto finally said. "The ultimate defense program. Tosh was working on it. Never thought she'd finished it, but she did. The Hub's sealed in a time bubble. Nothing can get in."

"But that means we can't get out." Gwen pointed out.

"Nope." Ianto agreed. "Not without unlocking that Dalek. We're trapped inside. It's all up to Jack now."

* * *

Sarah Jane, Jackie, and Mickey crept up behind a van, watching as Daleks surrounded the TARDIS.

* * *

Inside the TARDIS, the light was dissipating and Lily stopped screaming.

When it was gone, all that was left was a shaking Lily. Both Doctors slowly moved forward as Lily opened her eyes. They kneeled next to her.

"Ow." She said finally.

Donna sighed in relief.

Lily let the two men help her up and she stood shakily.

"What did you do?" Donna demanded.

"I bypassed my body." She told her, sounding tired.

"What?" Rose asked.

"The vortex is keeping my body running, even though my organs are failing." Lily explained, sitting down. "Even after they fail, it'll keep me going. Well, until my body just isn't capable of functioning at all anymore. But I figure I have at least three or four hours until that happens. This just keeps me going past organ failure, it doesn't stop more damage from happening. In fact, this will damage me faster."

"What happens then?" Jack asked.

"I die." She answered simply.

"Well that's a bad plan." Donna told her.

"It was either that, or I die now." Lily shot back. "Which would you rather?"

"Can you use your powers?" Rose asked, interrupting the argument.

Lily shook her head.

"All of my power is needed to keep my body going." She replied.

"So we're still in the same boat." Rose summed up.

"But at least things haven't gotten worse." The Doctor replied.

The power went out.

"I'm sewing your mouth shut." Lily told him, glaring.

* * *

The Daleks now had the TARDIS completely surrounded.

"TRANSFERRING TARDIS TO THE CRUCIBLE!"

The TARDIS was lifted into the sky by a blue light and disappeared.

"Those teleport things…can we use them?" Sarah Jane asked, pointing to the yellow disks Jackie and Mickey had. "If they've take the Doctor to the Dalek spaceship, then that's where we need to be."

"It's not just a teleport, it's a Dimension Jump." Mickey told her. "Man, this thing rips a hole in the fabric of space."

"But can we use it?" Sarah Jane asked impatiently.

"Not yet." Mickey replied. "It burns up energy. Needs half an hour between jumps."

"Then, put down your guns." She told them.

"What?" Mickey demanded.

"If you're carrying a gun, they'll shoot you dead." She told him.

She stepped out, holding up her arms.

"Daleks?" she called. "I surrender."

She walked towards them, wincing.

"ALL HUMANS IN THIS SECTOR WILL BE TAKEN TO THE CRUCIBLE!"

"She's bloody mad." Mickey said.

"Yeah, but Mickey," Jackie said, "if they've got the Doctor, then they've got Rose."

She put her gun down and raise her hands.

"And us." She called. "We surrender!"

Mickey kissed his gun before setting it down and walking out and surrendering.

* * *

Martha was adjusting the teleport pack.

"Now Jack's explained the base code, I know how this teleport works." She told her mother. "I think. But you just stay indoors. There's no Daleks on this street, you should be all right. Just um…keep quiet."

"Where are you going?" Francine demanded.

"I'm a member of UNIT and they gave me the Osterhagen Key." She told her. "I've got to do my job."

Francine tried to move towards her, but Martha held up a hand to stop her.

"I'm sorry." She said, sounding scared.

"Martha…what's an Osterhagen Key?" her mother asked. "Tell me. What does it do?"

"Love you." Martha replied tearfully.

She pulled the chord and disappeared.

* * *

**Germany, 60 miles outside Nuremburg**

Martha appeared in a dark forest, the sound of Daleks not too far away.

"EXTERMINIEREN! EXTERMINIEREN! EXTERMINIEREN!"

"HALT! SONST WERDEN WIR SIE EXTERMINIEREN! SIE SIND JETZT EIN GEFANGENER DER DALEKS!"

Martha stood and peered through the trees.

"EXTERMINIEREN! EXTERMINIEREN!"

Martha ran in the opposite direction.

* * *

There was nothing they could stop the TARDIS.

"There's a massive Dalek ship at the centre of the planets." Jack told them. "They're calling it the Crucible. Guess that's our destination."

They were all standing around the console. Well, the rest were standing. Lily was leaning, rubbing her temples.

_Are you okay?_ The Doctor asked.

"Does it look like I'm okay?" Lily replied sarcastically.

The rest looked at her strangely.

"Sorry." She said sheepishly. "I'm having a hard time distinguishing between what's inside my head and what not. Please, continue."

_Sorry. _She told the Doctor silently.

_It's okay. _He replied. _It was a stupid question._

They didn't notice Rose and Nine watching them strangely.

"Rose!" the Doctor said suddenly. "You've been in a parallel world. Both yours and mister brooding over there are from universes that are running ahead of this one. You've seen the future. What was it?"

"Mister Brooding?" Nine asked.

"It's the darkness." Rose answered.

"The stars were going out." Donna added.

Nine walked over to Lily.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked softly.

Lily glanced at the Doctor and he nodded slightly.

She shrugged and followed Nine off to the side.

"One by one." Rose continued. "We looked up at the sky and they were just dying. Basically, we've been building this um…this travel machine, this…uh…Dimension Cannon, so I could…well, when I say I, I mean we…but so I-we- could…"

"What?" the Doctor asked with raise eyebrows.

"So I could come back." She said, embarrassed.

The Doctor beamed.

"Shut up." She told him. "Anyway, suddenly, it started to work. And the dimensions started to collapse."

The Doctor's smile faded.

"Not just in our world." Rose told him. "Not just in the other Doctor, or in yours, but the whole of reality. Even the Void was dead. Something is…destroying everything."

They suddenly became aware of voice becoming louder. But they weren't in talking in English.

"What is that?" Rose asked.

"It's un-translated Gallifreyan." The Doctor told her. "The TARDIS is trying to give them some privacy."

They watched as Nine reached over and picked up the Firepoint before letting it drop back to Lily's chest. Then they watched as Lily hauled out and slapped him.

Suddenly they were in English again.

"You left!" Lily screamed at him. "My world collapsed around me and you sent me away! I needed you! And then you were gone and I thought you were dead, along with everyone I knew! I mourned you! And now your pissed because I wasn't here waiting for you like a good little companion? Well, news flash, you lost that right when you shoved me through a crack in the universes!"

The Doctor quickly walked over and got between them.

"That's enough." He said. "As much fun as it is watching Lily scream at someone other than me for once, your health isn't up to it and we just don't have the time."

Lily pulled away and stalked off into the hallway.

Nine went to follow her, but the Doctor stopped him.

"You don't want to do that." He told the other man.

"And what makes you the expert on what I want to do?" Nine shot back.

"I'm her mate." The Doctor said, his voice cold. "And she's right. You left her broken. I picked up the pieces. And some of them were broken long before you left, so back off, or I'll make you."

He glared at the man for a second before following Lily out.

Rose watched him leave sadly.

"Did he even miss me?" she asked Donna and Jack.

"He really did." Donna told her.

"We both did." Jack added.

"But he and her…" Rose trailed off.

Donna sighed.

"When I first met them, they could barely function they missed you and the other one over there so much." She told the other woman. "But they only had each other. And so they helped each other heal. They didn't mean to fall for each other."

"In fact, the actively tried not to." Jack told her. "They wouldn't admit they loved each other until they had no choice."

"But, at least for Lily's part, she never wanted to replace you or detract from your memory in anyway." Donna told her. "Lily knew a version of you in her reality, did you know that?"

"He told me I died." Rose said, motioning to Nine.

"Yeah, well Lily loved that version of you like a sister." Donna told her. "When she found out you were coming back her first thought was that that was good. Because then, when she died, the Doctor wouldn't be alone."

Rose sighed and looked away.

"It's complicated." Donna told her. "But the Doctor's right. We don't have the time to be focused on anything but what's happening in front of us."

Rose nodded.

Donna hesitated for a moment.

"In that parallel world…" she finally said. "…you said something about me."

Rose turned back to her.

"The Dimension Cannon could measure timelines." Rose told her. "And it's…it's weird, Donna, but they all seem to converge on you."

"But why me?" Donna asked, bemused. "I mean…what have I ever done? I'm a temp from Chiswick!"

"I've told you, you're not allowed to talk about yourself like that." Lily said, as she and the Doctor came up behind her. She wrapped her arm around her friend. "You're Donna Noble and you're awesome."

They all turned as the computer beeped.

"The Dalek Crucible." The Doctor said, looking at the monitor. "All aboard…"

"Last one there's a rotten egg." Lily added.

The TARDIS landed with a crash.

"DOCTOR!" they heard from outside. "YOU WILL STEP FORTH OR DIE!"

"We'll have to go out." The Doctor said, watching the door. "Cause, if we don't, they'll get in."

"You told me nothing could get through those doors." Rose said, alarmed.

"You've got extrapolator shielding." Jack added.

"Well, it's kind of true." Lily said. "I mean, we could throw a tactical nuke at them and it wouldn't scratch the paint, but these are the Daleks."

"So?" Rose said. "We've gone up against them before."

"Last time we fought the Daleks, they were scavengers and hybrids and mad." The Doctor told her. "But this is a fully fledged Dalek Empire…at the height of its power. Experts at fighting TARDISes. They can do anything."

"Right up to and including busting through those doors and dragging us out kicking and screaming." Lily finished.

"Right now, that wooden door…is just wood." The Doctor said.

The Doctor, Rose, Jack, and Nine all moved forward, but Lily and Donna hung back.

In her head, Lily could hear a sound. She glanced at Donna and realized she could hear it too.

"What about your Dimension Jump?" Jack asked Rose and Nine.

"It needs another twenty minutes." Nine replied.

"Anyway, I'm not leaving." Rose added.

"What about your teleport?" the Doctor asked Jack.

"Went down with the power loss." He replied.

"Right then." The Doctor said. "All of us together…yeah."

He noticed Donna and Lily weren't with them.

"Lily?" he called. "Donna?"

When they didn't reply, he went back to them.

"Lily?" he asked again, touching her shoulder.

The two girls seemed to come back.

"Yeah." Lily said.

"Are you up to this?" he asked her.

"I'm already dying." She said flippantly. "How much worse can it get?"

"I'm sorry." He told them. "There's nothing else we can do."

"No." Donna said, glancing at Lily. "We know."

The Doctor nodded and squeezed Lily's shoulder before turning back to the door.

"SURRENDER, DOCTOR, AND FACE YOUR DALEK MASTERS."

"Daleks." Rose said, laughing nervously. "Heh!"

"Oh, God!" Jack said.

"They just don't seem to ever die, do they?" Nine said. "They're like intergalactic cockroaches."

The other two smiled.

The Doctor looked at them all.

"It's been good, though, hasn't it?" he said.

Lily smiled at him.

"All of us…all of it…everything we did…" he continued.

He looked right at Donna.

"You were brilliant." He told her.

He turned to Jack.

"And you were brilliant."

He looked at Rose.

"And you were brilliant."

He turned to Nine.

"I suppose you were alright." He told him.

"Oh thanks for that." Nine replied. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

"Glad to help." The Doctor told him brightly.

He looked at Lily and held her gaze, feeling her absolute faith in him.

"Thank you." He told her. "For…everything."

"No problem." She replied, smiling softly. "And back at you."

He smiled sadly.

"Blimey." He said.

He turned to the door and Jack, Rose, and Nine followed.

A second later, Lily and Donna moved to followed them.

A/N: Sorry for the longer wait, I hope the longer chapter makes up for it. The story keeps trying to run away from me and I have to keep pulling it back with a stern warning. So let me know what you guys think.

Also, I've just got to say that I find the german Daleks freaking hilarious.

Abbey


	58. Journey's End: In The Nick Of Time

Disclaimer: I am to depressed by what I'm writing to claim anything….*sob hic sob*

**Attention: the metacrisis Doctor shall be referred to as the New Doctor. That is all.**

Ch. 58:

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS followed by Nine, Rose, and Jack.

"DALEKS REIGN SUPREME!" the main Dalek said. "ALL HAIL THE DALEKS!"

* * *

Donna and Lily walked towards the door, but they stopped again. The sound called to them.

Lily thought it sounded like a heartbeat.

"DALEKS REIGN SUPREME! ALL HAIL THE DALEKS! DALEKS REIGN SUPREME! ALL HAIL THE DALEKS!"

* * *

The Doctor, Nine, Rose, and Jack all looked around at the enormous ship, filled with Daleks chanting.

"DALEKS REIGN SUPREME! ALL HAIL THE DALEKS! DALEKS REIGN SUPREME! ALL HAIL THE DALEKS!"

The Doctor exhaled and Nine clenched his hands next to him.

"BEHOLD, DOCTOR." The main Dalek said. "BEHOLD THE MIGHT OF THE TRUE DALEK RACE."

* * *

Donna turned to look at Lily, confused, but Lily was looking back at the console.

* * *

"Lily?" the Doctor called over his shoulder. "Donna? It's no safer in there…"

* * *

Lily looked at Donna, confused herself, but took a deep breath, linked her arm with her friend's, and turned back to the door.

It slammed shut.

* * *

The Doctor turned and ran back to the TARDIS the moment he heard it shut.

Lily was banging on the door.

"Doctor!" she shouted. "Don't you dare! Let me out!"

"It wasn't me!" he shouted back. "I didn't do anything!"

"Oi!" Donna shouted, pulling on the handle. "We're not staying behind!"

"What did you do?" the Doctor yelled to the Supreme Dalek.

"THIS IS NOT DALEK ORIGIN." He replied.

"Doctor!" Both Lily and Donna were yelling.

"Stop it!" The Doctor yelled angrily. "That's my friend and my mate! Now open the door and let them out!"

"THIS IS TIME LORD TREACHERY!" the Supreme Dalek accused.

"Me?" the Doctor shot back. "The door just closed on its own!"

"Nevertheless:" the Dalek replied. "The TARDIS is a weapon and it will be destroyed."

The TARDIS fell through a trap door.

"Lily!" the Doctor and Nine screamed at the same time.

Jack held the Doctor back, while Rose grabbed Nine.

* * *

Lily and Donna desperately tried to stay upright as the TARDIS fell.

* * *

"What are you doing?" The Doctor demanded. "Bring it back!"

* * *

Lily clung to the console and Donna held on to the rails as they were thrown around.

"Doctor!" Lily yelled desperately.

* * *

"What've you done?" The Doctor shouted. "Where's it going?"

"THE CRUCIBLE HAS A HEART OF Z-NEUTRINO ENERGY." The Supreme Dalek replied. "THE TARDIS WILL BE DEPOSITED INTO THE CORE."

"But you can't!" the Doctor said, horrified. "You've taken the defenses down! It'll be torn apart!"

* * *

The TARDIS hit the core and the lights inside smashed. Donna screamed and Lily tried to get something to work. All around, fires sprang forth.

* * *

"But Donna and Lily are still in there!" Rose shouted at the Dalek.

"Let them go!" Jack yelled.

* * *

Lily fell and hit the grill below the console. Donna crawled to her and they tried to shield themselves and each other from the sparks and fires.

* * *

"THE FEMALES AND THE TARDIS WILL PERISH TOGETHER!" the Supreme Dalek announced. "OBSERVE."

A screen appeared and the group watched in horror as the TARDIS bobbed in the energy.

"THE LAST CHILD OF GALLIFREY IS POWERLESS." The Dalek told them.

* * *

Absolute chaos reigned in the TARDIS as the smoke began to choke the women.

* * *

"Please." The Doctor called. "I'm begging you. I'll do anything!"

He looked from the screen to the Dalek.

"Put me in their place!" he begged. "You can do anything to me, I don't care, just get them out of there!"

"Two Doctors." Nine said, stepping forward. "Two Doctors for two humans. It's a good trade."

* * *

Donna turned away as she coughed and Lily spotted something out of the corner of her eye. The Doctor's hand was glowing. Inside her head, all she could hear was the beating. Against her will, she reached out to the jar. The light from the hand engulfed her and she gasped. Whatever was happening, it needed more than Lily could give. Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed Donna's hand. The light engulfed her as well and the jar shattered.

* * *

The Doctor watched the screen with gritted teeth, trembling.

"YOU ARE CONNECTED TO THE TARDIS." The Supreme Dalek told him. "NOW, FEEL IT DIE."

* * *

The destruction around them no longer seemed to bother the women. The energy had left them and Lily knew that it had taken what it needed. Her eyes swirled grey and gold. The hand now lay on the grill twitching. Donna and Lily watched, clinging to each other, as the energy flowed away from the hand and coalesced into the form of a man. Suddenly, the shape sat up and the energy dissipated to reveal a very naked Doctor.

"Oh, my god." Lily whispered.

"It's you…!" Donna said, amazed.

"Oh, yes." The new Doctor replied.

Donna looked him over quickly before focusing resolutely on his face.

"You're naked!" she told him.

"Oh, yes!" he replied.

The TARDIS continued to smash around them.

* * *

"TOTAL TARDIS DESTRUCTION IN TEN RELS!" a Dalek called.

Rose moved to the Doctor's side and took his hand.

"NINE! EIGHT! SEVEN! SIX! FIVE!"

* * *

The New Doctor reached up and pressed a button on the console.

* * *

"FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE!"

The TARDIS faded away.

* * *

"THE TARDIS HAS BEEN DESTROYED." The Supreme Dalek announced. "NOW, TELL ME, DOCTOR…WHAT DO YOU FEEL?"

The Doctor watched the screen still, a dark expression clouding his face.

"ANGER?" the Supreme Dalek pushed. "SORROW? DESPAIR?"

"Yeah." The Doctor replied.

Jack looked at him, knowing he wasn't only talking about the loss of the TARDIS.

"THEN, IF EMOTIONS ARE SO IMPORTANT, SURELY WE HAVE ENHANCED YOU." The Supreme Dalek said.

"Yeah?" Jack shot back. "Feel this?"

He whipped out his pistol and fired at the Dalek. The bullets bounced off.

"EXTERMINATE!"

Jack fell to the ground, dead.

Rose fell to her knees next to him.

"Jack!" she cried. "Oh, my God. Oh, no…"

The Doctor kneeled next to her.

"Rose…" he said softly. "Come here. Leave him."

"They killed him." She whispered.

"I know." He replied. "I'm sorry."

"ESCORT THEM TO THE VAULT." The Supreme Dalek ordered.

The Doctor pulled Rose to her feet and glanced at Nine.

"THEY ARE THE PLAYTHINGS OF DAVROS, NOW." He continued.

A Dalek led them away, but the Doctor glanced back to see Jack wink.

* * *

The New Doctor was wearing the pants from the blue suit and a burgundy shirt as he stood on the railing, fixing the lights above the doors.

"All repaired!" he called, jumping down and pulling on his jacket. "Lovely! Shh! No one knows we're here. Gotta keep quiet. Silent running, like on submarines when they can't even drop a spanner. Don't drop a spanner. I like blue, what do you think?"

"You-are-bonkers!" Donna told him.

Lily chuckled from where she sat on the jumpseat, her eyes closed.

"Why?" the New Doctor demanded. "What's wrong with blue?"

"Is that what Time Lords do?" Donna demanded. "Lop a bit off, grow another one? You're like worms!"

"No, no, no, no, no, I'm unique." He told her. "Never been another like me! Because all that regeneration energy went into the hand-look at my hand, I love that hand…"

He wiggled his fingers.

"But then Lily touched it-and then she touched you-WHAM!" he yelled.

Donna jumped.

"Shh!" he said. "Instantaneous biological metacrisis. I grew…out of you and Lily. Still, could be worse."

"Hey!" Lily called.

"Oi! Watch it, spaceman!" Donna told him.

"Oi! Watch, it, Earthgirl!" he shot back, matching her. "Oh!"

Lily smiled.

"Looks like you got more from Donna than me." She said, chuckling.

"I sound like you!" The New Doctor said as he and Donna stared at each other. "I sound all…all sort of, rough."

"Oi!" Donna said.

"Oi!" the New Doctor shot back.

"Oi!" Donna repeated.

"Spanners, shh!" the New Doctor said.

"Oh, dear sweet lord." Lily moaned.

"Must've picked up a bit of your voice, that's all." The New Doctor told Donna. "Is it? Did I? No. Oh! You are kidding me, no WAY. One heart…"

He felt his chest.

"I've got one heart!" he told them. "This body…has got only one heart!"

"What?" Donna asked, placing a hand on his chest as Lily got up and walked over to them. "What, like you're human?"

"Oh, that's disgusting." The New Doctor said.

"Oi!" Donna shouted.

"Oi!" the New Doctor shot back.

"Stop it!" Lily ordered them. "And you're not human." She told him.

"You're right." He said. "I'm…part Time Lord, part human…"

He looked at Donna.

"Well, isn't that wizard?" he said.

"And isn't that just creepy?" Lily shot back.

"I kept hearing that noise…" Donna said. "That heartbeat."

"That was him." Lily told her. "He's a complicated event in time and space. He rippled back. Converging on us."

"I get you, but why me?" Donna asked.

"Because you're special." The New Doctor told her.

"Oh, I keep telling you: I'm not." Donna insisted.

"And I keep telling you: you are." Lily told her.

She and the New Doctor shared a look before turning back to her.

"You really don't believe that, do you?" she asked. "See, one of the things about this metacrisis is that the three of us are now linked. Not like the other-Do you realize I know have to contend with differentiating between three different Doctors?" She shook her head. "The point is I can now see that no matter how many times we've told you how amazing you are, you've never believed us."

"All that attitude." The New Doctor said. "All that lip, cause all this time…you think you're not worth it."

"Stop it." Donna told them.

"Shouting at the world cause no one's listening." He continued. "Well…why should they?"

"Doctor." She said. "Stop it."

"But look at what you did!" Lily told her. "I couldn't do it alone. I had to have you."

"It's more than that." The New Doctor said. "We were always heading for this."

"You came to the TARDIS." Lily said. "And you found us again."

"Your granddad." The New Doctor added. "Your car!"

"Donna, your car!" Lily exclaimed. "You parked right next to us. The Doctor even ran into it as he was walking away. That's not coincidence at all!"

"We've been blind." The New Doctor said, spinning on the spot, his fingers on his temples. "Something's been drawing us together for such a long time."

"But you're talking like…destiny." Donna said. "But there's no such thing…is there?"

"Donna, I could have come through to any universe, to anywhere, at any time, but I didn't." Lily told her. "I appeared in this universe, inside the TARDIS, at the precise moment the Doctor needed me most. Something pulled the three of us together for this reason. For this to happen, all three of us were needed."

"But it's still not finished." The New Doctor said, holding his head. "It's like…the pattern's not complete. The strands are still joining together. But heading for what?"

* * *

Martha emerged from the woods and an old woman walked down the castles steps to greet her.

"Hier is niemand." She said in German. "Was immer sie wollen, geheh Sie fort! Lassen Sie mich in Ruhe."

"Ich heisse Martha Jones." Martha replied. "Ich komme von UNIT. Agentin fuenf sechs sech sieben eins, von der medizinischen Abteilung."

"Es hiess Sie kaemen vorbei." The woman said before switching to English. "The accent…that is London, ja? I went to London, long time ago."

"I thought this place was supposed to be guarded." Martha said.

"There were soldiers." The woman replied. "Boys. I brought them food, every day. But when der Albtraum came from the sky, they went home. To die. But not you."

"I've got a job to do." Martha replied, walking up the castle steps.

She walked inside and made straight to a curtain on the other side of the room. She pulled if off to reveal a hand recognition lock. She entered the code and laid her hand on it. The woman approached her slowly.

"London." She said. "In those days, to see it. So much glamour. I was so young."

Martha didn't answer.

"I heard the soldiers talking, many times." The woman said. "They would speak of the Osterhagen Key. I think London must be changed now, yes? But still, the glamour…"

Martha opened the door, but turned when she heard the click of a gun. She turned to find the woman holding one on her.

"You will not go." The woman told her.

"I've got no choice." Martha replied.

She seemed more afraid of that than the gun.

"I know the Key." The woman told her. "What it does."

She was close to tears.

"Sie sind der Albtraum." She said. "Nicht die anderen, Sie. Ich sollte Sie umbringen, am besten gleich jetzt!"

"Then do it." Martha told her, nodding.

The woman trembled, then faltered. She couldn't pull the trigger.

Martha stepped into the lift behind the door.

"Martha…" the woman called. "zur Hoelle mit Dir!"

The doors closed.

"I know." Martha whispered.

* * *

"COMMENCE DISPOSAL. INCINERATE!"

The Daleks put Jack's body into a drawer, which they closed.

"DISPOSAL COMPLETED."

The Daleks left and a moment later the drawer opened.

Jack crawled out, coughing, but very much alive.

* * *

The elevator opened to reveal small, dark room. She walked in and sat down at a terminal, pressing a button.

"This Osterhagen Station One." She called. "My name is Martha Jones. Is there anyone there? Over."

* * *

Sarah Jane, Mickey and Jackie arrived on the ship and were led along with other prisioners.

"One step closer to the Doctor." Sarah Jane murmured.

* * *

"Activate the holding cells." Davros ordered.

Rose, the Doctor, and Nine were all standing a few feet apart in separate spot lights.

"Excellent." Davros continued, rolling towards the Doctor. "Even when powerless, a Time Lord is best contained. Even more so when there are two."

"Still scared of me, then?" the Doctor asked.

He touched the edge of the light and it rippled with blue light, but he couldn't get through. Rose did the same and Nine leaned against it, his arms crossed in front of him.

"It is time we talked, Doctor, after so very long-" Davros said.

"No, no, no, no, no." The Doctor said.

"Please, let's not." Nine added.

"He's right." The Doctor agreed. "We're not doing the nostalgia tour. I want to know what's happening right here, right now, cause the Supreme Dalek said 'vault', yeah?"

He turned in place, looking around.

"As in, dungeon." He said. "Cellar. Prison. You're not in charge of the Daleks, are you? They've got you locked away down here in the basement, like, what, a servant? Slave? Court jester?"

"Crazy uncle?" Nine added.

"We have…an arrangement." Davros said before they could keep going.

The Doctor laughed mockingly.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no." He said, turning to Nine. "I've got the word. You're going to love this. He's the Daleks' pet!"

Davros moved away from him towards Rose.

"So very full of fire, is he not?" he said. "And to think, you crossed entire universes, striding parallel to parallel to find him again."

"Leave her alone." The Doctor said, cold fury in his voice. "You took my mate and my best friend, you will not touch her."

"Ah, yes." Davros said. "The mate. How did it feel, after all that, to find him in the arms of another?"

"Leave her alone!" the Doctor shouted.

"She is mine." Davros told him. "To do as I please."

"Then why am I still alive?" Rose demanded.

"You must be here." Davros replied. "It was foretold. Even the Supreme Dalek would not dare to contradict the prophesies of Dalek Caan."

He pressed a button and a light appeared on the mutilated form of Dalek Caan.

"So cold and dark." Caan said in a sing-song voice. "Fire is coming…the endless flames…burning so pure…burning the old and the new…."

"What is that thing?" Rose asked the Doctor.

"You've met before." He told her. "The last of the Cult of Skaro. Lily killed the rest. But it flew into the Time War, unprotected."

"Caan did more than that." Davros told him. "He saw Time. Its infinite complexity and majesty raging through his mind. And…he saw you. All of you."

"This I have foreseen in the wild and the wind." Caan said. "The Doctor will be here, as witness, at the end of everything. The Doctor and his precious Children of Time!"

He giggled.

"And one of them will die…!" he announced.

"Was it you, Caan?" the Doctor demanded with barely suppressed rage. "Did you kill Donna? Lily? Do you remember Lily? She spared your life! Did you take hers? Why did the TARDIS door close? Tell me!"

"Oh, that's it!" Davros said, delighted. "The end, the fire, the rage of a Time Lord who butchered millions. There he is. Why so shy? Show your companion…show her your true self. Tell me, did your dead mate know the real you?"

The Doctor didn't answer, he just stared at him with hatred in his eyes.

"Dalek Caan has promised me that, too." Davros told him.

"I have seen it." Caan said. "At the time of ending, the Doctor's soul will be revealed."

"What does that mean?" The Doctor demanded.

"We will discover it together…our final journey." Davros said. "Because the ending approaches. The testing begins."

He turned away.

"Testing of what?" Nine demanded.

Davros turned back.

"The Reality Bomb." He answered.

A/N: Okay, so this episode is definitely going to have more chapters than normal. Hope you guys are okay with that. Let me know.

Abbey


	59. Journey's End: Truth of Time

Disclaimer: I have no energy for this.

Ch. 59:

The prisoners were led into a large chamber, Sarah Jane, Mickey, and Jackie among them.

"PRISONERS WILL STAND IN THE DESIGNATED AREA." The Dalek ordered. "MOVE! MOVE!"

The chamber was full of Daleks, in the air and on the ground.

A woman fell to her knees and Jackie went to help her.

"YOU WILL STAND!" the Dalek ordered.

"I can't." the woman told it.

"YOU WILL STAND!" he ordered again.

Sarah Jane noticed a door nearby and made a dash for it.

"I can't." the woman said. "Please…"

"ON YOUR FEET!" The Dalek ordered. "ON YOUR FEET!"

Mickey watched as Sarah Jane opened the door with her sonic lipstick.

"Mickey!" she called softly. "Mickey!"

"Jackie!" Mickey called.

He followed Sarah Jane, but Jackie was helping the woman up and couldn't sneak away.

Sarah Jane and Mickey watched through the window in the door.

"PRISONERS WILL STAND IN THE DESIGNATED AREA." The Dalek ordered.

"We can't just leave her." Mickey said shakily.

He went to the open the door, but Sarah Jane stopped him.

"Wait!" she told him.

At that moment, a Dalek glided by.

"What does it mean?" the scared woman asked, looking to Jackie for answers. "What are they testing? What are they going to do?"

Jackie looked up at a large, circular green device high above their heads.

"I reckon it's that thing there." She replied.

* * *

"TESTING CALIBRATION OF REALITY BOMB." The Doctor, Rose, and Nine heard the Supreme Dalek announce. "FIRING IN TEN RELS-NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN…"

"Behold…" Davros told them. "The apotheosis of my genius."

He pressed a button and a screen displayed the testing chamber.

"…TWO, ONE, ZERO." The Supreme Dalek finished. "ACTIVATE PLANETARY ALIGNMENT FIELD!"

* * *

The entire TARDIS shuddered and when it stopped, the New Doctor moved to the monitor.

"It's the planets." He told the girls. "The twenty seven planets."

Each of the planets had begun to glow.

* * *

"But that's Z-Neutrino Energy." The Doctor said. "Flattened by the alignment of the planets into a single stream."

He paused.

"No." Nine said, realizing what that meant at the same moment.

"Davros." The Doctor shouted, panicking. "Davros, you can't! You CAN'T! NO!"

* * *

"The Doctor is panicking." Lily said, pacing. She was growing more and more restless.

"Does he know we're alright?" Donna asked.

Lily shook her head.

"Something is stopping me from communicating with him." She told her. "I can barely feel him, so he must be really freaking out for me to even know."

The New Doctor rested his chin on his hand, watching the monitor.

"Single-stream Z-Neutrinos compressed into…"

He faltered as he realized.

"No." he whispered. "No way…"

The planets got brighter.

* * *

Sarah Jane and Mickey were still watching through the window. Outside, the prisoners still stood with their hands on their heads. Sarah Jane continued to watch as Mickey began to pace. Suddenly, he stopped when he heard a beeping.

"Thirty minutes…" he said. "It's recharged!"

He ran to the window, mouthing at Jackie and holding up the Dimension Jump.

"It's recharged!" he mouthed at Jackie. "It's recharged! Use it!"

Jackie took the Dimension Jump out of her pocket and looked at the woman next to her.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered.

She pressed the button and the woman watched in surprise as she disappeared.

She appeared in the room and Mickey grabbed her in a tight hug.

They turned back to watch in horror as the prisoners were surrounded in a gold light and suddenly dissolved.

* * *

"What is it?" Donna asked. "Doctor? What did it do?"

The Doctor just stared at the screen in shock.

Lily closed her eyes.

* * *

"Doctor, what happened?" Rose asked, shaken.

"Electrical energy, Miss Tyler." Davros answered.

The Doctor stared at him, not quite believing what he saw. Nine shut his eyes and clenched his fists.

"Ever atom is bound by an electrical field." Davros continued. "The Reality Bomb cancels it out-structure falls apart. That test was focused on the prisoners alone. Full transmission will dissolve every form of matter."

"The stars are going out…" Rose whispered.

"The twenty seven planets…" Nine ground out. "They became one giant transmitter. Blasting that wavelength…"

"Across the entire universe." Davros finished. "Never stopping. Never faltering. Never fading. People and planets and stars will become dust. And the dust will become atoms and the atoms will become…nothing. And the wavelength will continue, breaking through the rift at the heart of the Medusa Cascade into every dimension, every parallel, every single corner of creation."

His voice took on an almost hysterical quality.

"This is my ultimate victory, Doctor!" he told them. "The destruction of reality itself!"

"PREPARE FOR UNIVERSAL DETONATION!" the Supreme Dalek ordered. "THE FLEET WILL GATHER AT THE CRUCIBLE! ALL DALEKS WILL RETURN TO SHELTER FROM THE CATACLYSM!"

The Dalek ships zoomed away from Earth.

"WE WILL BECOME THE ONLY LIFE-FORMS IN EXISTENCE!" He announced.

* * *

Sylvia ran outside.

"Look, they're leaving!" she called. "Dad, they're going! The Daleks are going!"

"Going where, though?" Wilf asked. "And Donna's still out there."

The smile faded from Sylvia's face.

"It's not over yet, sweetheart." He told his daughter.

* * *

Jackie, Mickey, and Sarah Jane were still looking through the window, when an air vent popped open and Jack tumbled out making them all spin around.

"Just my luck." Jack complained. "I climb through two miles of ventilation shafts, chasing life signs on this thing-" he motioned to his Vortex Manipulator, "…and who do I find? Mickey Mouse!"

"You can talk, Captain Cheesecake!" Mickey shot back.

They burst out laughing and grabbed each other in a hug.

"Good to see ya!" Jack told him, looking down at him without letting go. "And that's 'Beefcake'."

"And that's enough hugging." Mickey replied.

Jack released him and saluted Sarah Jane.

"We meet at last, Ms. Smith." He said.

"There is something we can do." Sarah Jane told him. "You've got to understand-I have a son down there on Earth. He's only fourteen years old. I brought this."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a necklace with what looked like a diamond hanging on it-except the diamond was shinning.

"It was given to me by a Verron Soothsayer." She told them. "He said…'this is for the end of days'."

Jack was staring at her with his mouth open.

"Is that a Warp Star?" he asked.

Sarah Jane nodded.

"Gonna tell me what a Warp Star is?" Mickey asked.

"A warpfold conjugation trapped in a carbonized shell." Jack replied, not taking his eyes off it. "It's an explosion, Mickey."

He looked at Sarah Jane, awed.

"An explosion waiting to happen." He said.

* * *

A screen on the terminal in front of Martha sprang to life.

China.

"This is Osterhagen Station Five." A young Chinese woman called. "Are you receiving, Station One?"

"I've got you." Martha replied. "That makes three of us, and three is all we need."

"My name is Anna Zhou." The woman told Martha. "What's yours?"

"Martha Jones." She replied.

She looked at Station Four, Liberia.

"What about you, Station Four?" she asked. "You never said."

"I don't want my name on this." The man replied. "Given what we're about to do."

Martha looked down at the key in her hand.

"So, what happens now?" Anna asked. "Do we do it?"

"No, not yet." Martha said, thoughtfully.

"UNIT instructions say once three Osterhagen Stations are online, we-"

"Yeah, well I've got a higher authority." Martha interrupted. "Way about UNIT. And there's one more thing the Doctor would do…Besides, Lily gets cranky when people try to destroy Earth, and I'd rather she wasn't pissed at me."

* * *

The New Doctor was dashing around the TARDIS, building something.

Lily glanced down at her hand and saw that it was rippling with gold light. She clenched it tightly and it dissipated.

"Lily?"

She turned to see Donna standing next to her.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"What's going on?" Donna asked.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

Donna stared at her.

"Should I start with the fact that your eyes are flashing between grey and gold and move on from there?" her friend asked sarcastically.

"It's fine." Lily told her.

"You said you need me to make him." Donna said. "Whatever happened, it changed something in you didn't it?"

"Donna…" Lily whispered.

"Are you getting better?" Donna demanded. "Cause you seem stronger than a little while ago."

Lily looked at her seriously.

"No." she said finally. "I'm not getting better."

The New Doctor caused a section of the console to spark as he removed a wire.

"What is that thing?" Donna demanded, distracted.

"It's our only hope." The New Doctor told her. "A Z-Neutrino biological inversion catalyser."

"Yeah." Donna replied. "Earthgirl, remember?"

"Davros said he built those Daleks out of himself." He replied, screwing in parts of the device. "His genetic code runs through the entire race. If I can use this to lock the Crucible's transmission onto Davros himself…"

"It destroys the Daleks?" Donna asked.

"Biggest backfire in history." The New Doctor replied.

"It's simplistic. It's crude." Lily observed. "I love it."

* * *

"INCOMING TRANSMISSION." A Dalek reported. "ORIGIN: PLANET EARTH."

"DISPLAY." The Supreme Dalek ordered.

A screen appeared showing Martha.

"This is Martha Jones representing the Unified Intelligence Taskforce on behalf of the Human Race." Martha called. "Can you hear me?"

"SEND TRANSMISSION TO THE VAULT." The Supreme Dalek ordered. "CONTINUE TO MONITOR."

* * *

The feed appeared in the Vault.

"This message is for the Dalek Crucible." Martha called. "Repeat: can you hear me?"

"Put me through!" the Doctor demanded.

"It begins as Dalek Caan foretold." Davros said.

"The Children of Time will gather…" Caan said. "And one of them will die!"

"Stop saying that!" the Doctor said, exasperated. "Put me through!"

"Doctor!" Martha called when she saw him. "I'm sorry. I had to."

"Oh!" Davros called. "But the Doctor is powerless-my prisoner. State your intent."

Martha held up the key.

"I've got the Osterhagen Key." She told them. "Leave this planet and its people alone, or I'll use it."

"Osterhagen what?" the Doctor asked. "What's an Osterhagen Key?"

"Uh oh." Nine murmured. "You're really not going to like this. I almost killed them myself when they tried this in my universe."

"There's a chain of twenty five nuclear warheads placed in strategic points beneath the Earth's crust." Martha told him. "If I use the key, they detonate and the Earth gets ripped apart."

"What?" the Doctor yelled, appalled.

"Told you so." Nine said smugly.

"Who invented that?" The Doctor demanded, ignoring him. "Well-someone called Osterhagen, I suppose-but Martha, are you insane?"

"The Osterhagen Key is to be used if the suffering of the Human Race is so great, so without hope…that this becomes the final option." Martha told him.

"That's NEVER an option." He shot back.

"Don't argue with me, Doctor." Martha snapped at him. "Cause there's more than that. Now, I reckon the Daleks need these twenty seven planets for something, but what if it becomes twenty six? What happens then? Daleks? Would you risk it?"

"She's good!" Rose said, impressed.

"Who's that?" Martha asked.

"My name's Rose." She replied. "Rose Tyler."

"Oh, my God…" Martha breathed. "He found you."

She looked more closely at the group.

"Doctor, where's Donna?" she asked. "Where's Lily?"

"Dead." He replied softly.

Martha's hand flew to her mouth as she stifled a scream.

"SECOND TRANSMISSION INTERNAL." A Dalek reported.

"DISPLAY." The Supreme Dalek ordered.

Another feed appeared next to the first, this one showing Jack holding the Warp Star, which was connected to a whole lot of wires, and Jackie, Mickey, and Sarah Jane standing next to him.

"Captain Jack Harkness calling all Dalek boys and girls!" he called. "Are you receiving me? Don't send in your goons or I'll set this thing off."

"He's still alive!" Rose said, amazed. "Oh, my God, that's-that's my mum!"

"And Mickey." The Doctor added.

"Rickey!" Nine called. "How you doing?"

"Captain, what are you doing?" The Doctor called.

"I've got a Warp Star wired into the mainframe." Jack told him. "I break the shell…the entire Crucible goes up."

"You can't!" the Doctor told him before backtracking. "Where did you get a Warp Star?"

"From me." Sarah Jane answered. "We had no choice. We saw what happened to the prisoners."

"Impossible." Davros said, looking at Sarah Jane. "That face…after all these years."

"Davros." She whispered coldly. "That's been quite a while. Sarah Jane Smith, remember?"

"Oh, this is meant to be." Davros said, reveling in it all. "The Circle of Time is closing. You were there on Skaro at the very beginning of my creation."

"And I've learned how to fight since then." She told him. "You let the Doctor go, or this Warp Star-it gets opened!"

The Doctor couldn't look at any of them.

"I'll do it." Jack threatened. "Don't imagine I wouldn't."

"Now, that's what I call a ransom." Rose said, laughing.

She looked at the Doctor and her smile fell.

"Doctor?" she called softly.

"And the prophesy unfolds." Davros said.

"The Doctor's soul is revealed!" Caan cackled. "See him! See the heart of him!"

The Doctor stood there, alone, eyes down cast and burdened.

"The man who abhors violence, never carrying a gun." Davros mocked. "But this is the truth, Doctor: you take ordinary people and you fashion THEM into weapons. Behold your Children of Time transformed into murderers. I made the Daleks, Doctor. You made this."

"They're trying to help." The Doctor whispered.

"Already, I have seen them sacrifice today for their beloved Doctor." Davros continued. "The Earth woman who fell opening the subwave network."

"Who was that?" the Doctor demanded.

"Harriet Jones." Rose told him.

He looked at her, stunned.

"I had forgotten to even ask why she died." He whispered, horrified.

"She gave her life to get you here." Rose told him.

"How many more?" Davros taunted. "Just think. How many have died in your name? How many fell just like your mate?"

The Doctor saw them all in his mind.

"The Doctor…" Davros continued. "The man who keeps running, never looking back, because he dare not, out of shame. This is my final victory, Doctor. I have shown you…yourself."

The Doctor stared at him without answering.

_You made me better. _ He heard Lily's voice in his head. _You make us all better._

But Lily was gone. Because of him.

"ENOUGH." The Supreme Dalek called. "ENGAGE DEFESE ZERO-FIVE."

"It's the Crucible…or the Earth." Martha told them, holding up the key.

"TRANSMAT ENGAGED!" A Dalek reported.

* * *

Martha disappeared in a beam of white light, the key falling to the ground.

* * *

So did Jack, Mickey, Jackie, and Sarah Jane, the Warp Star also falling to the ground.

* * *

They slowly picked themselves up from the floor of the Vault.

"Martha!" Jack said, helping her up. "I've got you, it's all right-"

"Don't move!" Nine ordered. "All of you! Stay still!"

They, of course, ignored him and started forward.

"Guard them!" Davros ordered. "On your knees, all of you. Surrender!"

"Do as he says." The Doctor told them.

The Daleks glided around them and a moment later, they obeyed, falling to their knees with their hands behind their heads.

"Mum, I told you not to!" Rose muttered under her breath.

"Yeah, but I couldn't leave you." Jackie told her.

Mickey shrugged when Rose glared at him.

"The final prophesy is in place." Davros announced. "The Doctor and his children all gathered as witnesses. Supreme Dalek…the time has come! Now…DETONATE THE REALITY BOMB!"

A/N: Good place to stop? Yes, no? We're coming right up to the end. I figure there will be two to three more chapters. God help me. Lol. As always, thoughts are appreciated.

Abbey


	60. Journey's End: In My Dying Time

Disclaimer: *sobbing in the fetal position, shaking*

Ch. 60:

"ACTIVATE PLANETARY ALIGNMENT FIELD!"

The planets began to glow again.

"UNIVERSAL REALITY DETONATION IN TWO HUNDRED RELS!"

"You can't, Davros!" the Doctor called desperately. "Just listen to me! Just STOP!"

"Nothing can stop the detonation!" Davros roared with laughter. "Nothing! And no one!"

* * *

"Ready!" the New Doctor called, holding up the device he built. "Maximum power!"

He kicked a lever upwards and pulled another.

The TARDIS tilted sideways.

* * *

Everything in the Vault stopped as the grinding of the TARDIS engines appeared with a gentle wind.

"But that's…" the Doctor whispered.

Dalek Caan giggled insanely as Rose and Martha stared with open mouths.

The TARDIS materialized, light shining from its windows, and the New Doctor stepped forth, framed by the light from inside.

"Brilliant!" Jack called, awed.

The Doctor's mouth was hanging open in disbelief and Davros pulled away, afraid. The New Doctor ran towards him, device in hand.

"Don't!" the Doctor yelled, panicking.

It was too late. Davros pointed at the New Doctor and electricity flew from his finger and hit the New Doctor in the chest.

He fell to the ground.

"Activate holding cell." Davros ordered and a light sprang up around the New Doctor.

"Stupid." Lily called, running from the TARDIS.

She ran to where the New Doctor had dropped the device and picked it up, looking at it.

"How the hell does this thing work?" she yelled at him.

Davros pointed at her and the same electricity hit her, throwing her into a wall.

"LILY!" the Doctor screamed.

Davros grinned as Lily crumbled to the floor and didn't move at the opposite end of the Vault.

"Lily!" the Doctor yelled. "Lily, are you alright? Lily!"

Rose stared at the other woman, stunned.

"Destroy the weapon!" Davros ordered.

A Dalek fired at the device and it exploded.

"I was wrong about your warriors, Doctor." Davros told him. "They are pathetic."

"How comes there're two of you?" Rose asked.

"Human biological metacrisis." Nine answered, seeing that the Doctor wasn't capable of answering.

The Doctor just stared at Lily.

"Never mind that." Nine continued. "Now we've got no way of stopping the Reality Bomb."

"DETONATION IN TWENTY RELS! NINETEEN…"

"Stand witness, Time Lords." Davros said. "Stand witness, Humans."

He activated the screen and it showed the twenty seven planets.

"Your strategies have failed." He mocked them. "Your weapons are useless, and…oh-the end of the universe is come."

They all watched the screen.

"NINE…EIGHT…"

"Hey, Davros!" a voice called.

They all turned to see Lily pull herself up.

"You know what happens when you piss off a Phoenix?" she asked.

She looked straight at him and they saw that her eyes were pure gold.

"You get burned." She told him.

A wave of gold rolled away from her, disintegrating ever Dalek in the room.

"FIVE…FOUR…THREE…"

"Oi!" she yelled, leaning over and breathing heavily. "Super Temp! Get your ass out here."

Donna ran out of the TARDIS and straight to a terminal and Lily joined her.

"Just like we told you." Lily told her.

Donna nodded and they both began typing fast.

"TWO…ONE…"

The bomb powered down and the screen went dead. A alarm began to sound and Lily high fived Donna.

"Oh…closing all Z-Neutrino relay loops using an internalized synchronous back-feed reversal loop!" Donna said confidently.

She flicked a switch.

"That button there!" she proclaimed.

* * *

"SYSTEM IN SHUTDOWN!" A Dalek reported.

"DETONATION NEGATIVE." Another added.

"EXPLAIN!" the Supreme Dalek ordered. "EXPLAIN! EXPLAIN!"

* * *

"Donna, you can't even change a plug!" the Doctor said, bemused.

"Do you wanna bet, Time Boy?" she shot back. "They explained how to do it and it made perfect sense. Maybe it's just you?"

"We could just leave him in there." Lily mused.

"Lily!" the Doctor yelped.

"Oh, fine." She sighed.

She pressed a few buttons and the lights went off.

"No!" Davros shouted. "You will suffer for this."

Lily looked at him, amused. She reached over Donna's arm and flicked a switch and he yelled.

"Oh…!" Lily said with false pity. "I'm sorry. Did that hurt?"

She leaned over and did it again.

"Bioelectric dampening field." She told him. "Oh, with a retrogressive arc inversion thrown in for fun."

Before anyone could move, a Dalek rolled in firing.

A bolt came flying at the Doctor, but Nine was suddenly there, pushing him out of the way. The bolt hit in full in the chest and he fell to the ground.

"NO!" Lily screamed.

Donna quickly keyed in a few buttons and the Dalek's firing arm fell, useless.

Lily ran to Nine's side and slid to her knees next to him.

"No." she said, tears pouring down her cheeks. "Why did you do that, you stupid man?"

He was practically gone.

"Love you." He whispered, reaching for her face. "So sorry."

His hand fell back down and his eyes closed.

"No." Lily cried, shaking him. "No! Come back! Come back now! NO! I'm sorry! Please, don't leave me! Please!"

Jack moved to her side and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her up.

"What happened?" the Doctor asked, distracting them from the grieving woman.

"Three way metacrisis." The New Doctor explained. "Lily, Donna, and your hand, combined to make me."

The Doctor looked at Lily, who was wrapped in Donna's arms.

"The Doctor-Lily and Donna." He murmured, staring at the two women. "Just like the Ood said, remember? They saw it coming. The Doctor-Lily and Donna."

Lily took a deep breath and wiped off her face.

"We have work to do." She said shakily.

She moved back to the terminal.

"Are you two going to just stand there, or are you going to help me get these bastards?" she demanded, looking back at the two Doctors.

The two men exchanged a look before joining her.

"I sealed the Vault." She told them. "Get to work."

"Stop them!" Davros ordered. "Get them away from the controls!"

"Donna, over here." Lily said, moving over. "You type faster than me."

The Dalek advanced and Lily flicked a switch.

"And…spin." She said.

The Dalek spun.

"HELP ME." It cried. "HELP ME."

Jack quickly grabbed Mickey and had him help him move Nine's body inside the TARDIS.

"And the other way!" Donna said, pressing a button before turning a dial.

The Dalek began spinning the other way, the upper half facing a different way from the bottom half.

"What did you two do?" The New Doctor asked.

"Trip-stitch circuit breaker in the-" Donna started.

"Psycho-kinetic threshold manipulator." Lily finished.

"But that's brilliant!" The New Doctor said, beaming.

"Why did we never think of that?" The Doctor asked the other him.

"Because you are just Time Lords." Lily told them. "You don't have that little bit of Human. That gut instinct that goes with growing up on planet Earth. I could think of ideas the two of you wouldn't dream up in a million years. And know I have the knowledge to back it up."

"Did you open the watch?" the Doctor asked her.

"No." Lily answered, looking down.

"Well, how does Donna know this stuff?" the Doctor asked.

"Metacrisis formed link." Lily answered. "I'm feeding her the information she needs. It made us kind of like…twins."

"Oh, dear lord." The Doctor moaned as the New Doctor beamed.

"Well, triplets." Lily amended. "If you include him, that is."

"Now," Donna said. "Let's send that trip-stitch all over the ship. Did I ever tell you?" She gestured to herself. "Best temp in Chiswick? A hundred words per minute!"

"Ha!" the New Doctor exclaimed.

The Dalek was rolling around uncontrollably.

"SYSTEM MALFUNCTION-MOTOR CAUSING INTERFERENCE-"

* * *

"WHAT IS HAPPENING?" the Supreme Dalek demanded. "EXPLAIN!"

All around, Daleks spun around in small circles, screeching.

* * *

Jack darted back into the TARDIS.

"Come on then, boys." Donna said. "We've got twenty seven planets to send home."

"Activate magnetron." Lily said.

"Stop it at once!" Davros yelled.

Lily reached over and pushed a button, shocking him again.

"I didn't say you could talk." She said coldly.

Jack emerged from the TARDIS holding his and Rose's guns.

"Mickey!" he called, chucking a gun to him.

"You will desist!" Davros yelled.

Lily shocked him again.

"Let me explain how this works." She told him. "You sit there quietly until I tell you that you can talk, understand?"

"Just stay where you are, mister." Mickey added, pointing the gun at Davros's face.

"Out of the way!" Jack called, kicking the Dalek out of the way.

Rose moved over to Sarah Jane, hugging her.

"Good to see you again!" Sarah Jane said, smiling.

"Yeah, you too!" Rose replied.

"Ready?" Lily asked the two Doctors.

"And…reverse!" Donna called.

She and the Doctors eased out two rods on each of the consoles.

"Off you go, Clom." The Doctor called.

"Back home, Adipose Three!" The New Doctor added.

"Sayonara, Shallacatop." Lily said, watching the screen.

"And Pyrovilia!" Donna called. "The Lost Moon of Poosh. Topping. Ha!"

"Ha!" the New Doctor repeated.

The planets continued to disappear.

"We need more power." The Doctor said.

"Is anyone gonna tell us what's going on?" Rose asked.

"He poured all his regeneration energy into his spare hand." Lily explained, pointing to the Doctor. "I touched the hand-he grew out of it." She gestured to the New Doctor. "But I didn't have enough strength to do it on my own, so I was forced to bring Donna into the process. That power fed into him, but the regeneration power fed back into us, linking all three of us, along with transferring Time Lord knowledge. It stayed dormant in both of us, that is until I got hit by that bolt. It kicked my synapses into overdrive."

She turned to Davros.

"I guess I should say thank you for that." She told him.

She turned back to the others.

"So Donna and I are now Part Human…Part Time Lord." Lily finished. "With all his knowledge free in my head and the ability to share it with Donna."

"So there are FOUR of you?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Used to be five." Lily murmured and Donna took her hand.

"Four Doctors?" Rose asked.

"I can't tell you what I'm thinking right now." Jack said distractedly.

"Please keep it that way." Lily replied, shuddering.

"But you promised me, Dalek Caan." Davros yelled. "Why did you not foresee this?"

Caan giggled.

"Oh, I think he did." The Doctor said. "Something's been manipulating the timelines for ages…getting Lily to the TARDIS, bringing Donna Noble to the right place at the right time."

"This would always have happened." Caan replied. "I only helped, Doctor."

"You…betrayed the Daleks?" Davros accused.

"I SAW the Daleks." Caan replied, surprisingly lucid. "What we have done throughout time and space. I saw the truth of us, Creator, and I decreed 'no more'."

"I WILL DESCEND TO THE VAULT!" the Supreme Dalek called.

"Heads up!" Jack warned.

The Supreme Dalek came down.

"DAVROS, YOU HAVE BETRAYED US." He accused.

"It was Dalek Caan!" Davros told him.

"THE VAULT WILL BE PURGED!" he announced. "YOU WILL ALL BE EXTERMINATED!"

He sent a bolt flying at the central column, causing sparks to fly.

"Like I was saying, feel this!" Jack shouted.

He blasted the Supreme Dalek in half with his gun.

The Doctor examined the column.

"We've lost the magnetron, haven't we?" Lily asked.

"And the only planet left, oh-" he broke off, laughing. "Guess which one."

"Figures." Lily muttered.

"Look, we can use the TARDIS!" he told them, running inside.

"Holding Earth stability…" the New Doctor called. "Maintaining atmospheric shell."

"The prophesy must complete." Caan called.

"Don't listen to him." Davros said.

"I have seen the end of everything Dalek." Caan continued. "And you must make it happen, Doctor."

"He's right." The New Doctor murmured. "Because with or without a Reality Bomb, this Dalek Empire's big enough to slaughter the cosmos."

Donna looked at him, uneasy, while Lily studied him closely.

"They've got to be stopped." He said.

"Just-just wait for the Doctor." Donna told him.

"I am the Doctor." He replied.

He reach out, but Lily grabbed his hand.

"Let me go." He told her. "I have to do this."

"No." she said. "I do."

He stared at her.

She lowered her voice so only he could hear her.

"I saved one half of this equation." She told him. "Now it's time to save the other half. Donna's destiny was to make you. Mine is to save you. Both of you."

She pushed him out of the way and began typing.

"Maximizing Dalekanium power feeds." She said. "Goodbye, Daleks."

The Daleks began exploding, one by one, screaming.

The Doctor heard the commotion and ran back out, staring at first the chaos, then Lily.

"What have you done?" he demanded, horrified.

"Fulfilled my purpose." She replied.

Everywhere, fire reigned.

* * *

The Dalek inside the Time Lock exploded and Gwen and Ianto shielded their faces.

"There goes the Time Lock." Gwen muttered.

* * *

"Do you know what you've done?" The Doctor yelled at Lily.

"I finished what I started!" she shouted back. "I avenged him!"

"Get in the TARDIS!" he ordered. "Everyone! All of you inside, run! In, in, in, in, in!"

Lily stayed put, but the New Doctor ran and started ushering them all in.

"Sarah Jane!" he called. "Rose! Jackie! Jack! Mickey!"

The Doctor squinted through the fire.

"Davros?" he called, holding out his hand. "Come with me! I promise I can save you!"

"Never forget, Doctor-YOU did this!" Davros screamed at him. "You and your accursed mate! I name you, forever. You are the Destroyers of Worlds!"

He screamed as he was engulfed in fire.

"One will still die." Caan yelled.

"Come on." The Doctor said, grabbing Lily's arm, but she pulled away.

"He's right." She told him. "One of us has to die, and it's me."

"No!" the Doctor yelled at her.

"I have to clean up my mess." She told him.

She gently touched his face.

"Please." She begged softly. "Try to find it in you to forgive me."

She looked over his shoulder.

"Get him out of here." She ordered.

The New Doctor grabbed him and pulled the struggling Doctor into the TARDIS.

The doors shut and Lily turned back to face the destruction she had wrought.

"Let's get to work." She murmured.

She closed her eyes and exploded in gold light.

* * *

The New Doctor pulled the Doctor further in.

"Let me go!" the Doctor screamed. "LILY!"

The New Doctor let go of him and ran to the console.

"And off we go!" he shouted.

The Doctor ran to the door, but the TARDIS had already left.

The rest moved to watch on the monitor as the Dalek ships were surrounded in gold light before disintegrating into atoms, except Donna who moved to the Doctor's side and kneeled next to him to wrap him in her arms as he wept in front of the door.

Suddenly, there was a flash of gold.

They all turned to see Lily kneeling on the floor of the TARDIS, her clothes in tatters and covered in her own blood.

The Doctor wrenched himself away from Donna and fell to his knees in front of Lily, grabbing her face and kissing her hard.

She returned the kiss with fervor.

"I'm sorry." She whispered in between kisses. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."

He wrapped her in his arms and held her tight. She ignored the pain in her body to hold him just as tightly.

They were brought back by Jack laying his coat over Lily's torn clothes.

The Doctor kissed her again before helping her to her feet and wrapping Jack's coat around her.

"Work to do." He said.

"No rest for the weary." Lily replied.

He kissed her forehead before moving to the console.

Jack wrapped her in a hug, kissing her forehead, and Donna walked over and wrapped her hand in hers.

"But what about the Earth?" Sarah Jane asked. "It's stuck in the wrong part of space!"

"I'm on it." The Doctor said, moving to the monitor. "Torchwood Hub, this is the Doctor. Gwen, Ianto, you guys receiving me?"

"Loud and clear." Gwen replied. "Is Jack there?"

"Can't get rid of him." The Doctor replied, glancing at the man who was still holding Lily. "You know, I've always meant to ask, Gwen, are you from an old Cardiff family?"

Gwen and Ianto glanced at each other.

"Yes." Gwen answered, confused. "All the way back to the eighteen hundreds."

The Doctor motioned for Rose to join him as she peered at Gwen in delight.

"Mm, thought so!" he said. He turned to Rose. "Spatial genetic multiplicity…"

"Oh, yeah!" Rose said appreciatively.

"Yeah, yeah!" he agreed. "It's a funny old world!"

He snapped out of it.

"Now, Torchwood," he called. "I want you to open up that Rift Manipulator-send all the power to me."

"Doing it now, sir." Ianto called.

"What's that for?" Martha asked.

"It's a tow rope." The Doctor answered. "Now then, Sarah-what's was your son's name?"

"Luke, he's called Luke." Sarah Jane replied. "And the computer's called Mr. Smith."

"Calling Luke and Mr. Smith!" the Doctor said.

* * *

Luke jumped up from where he was sitting.

"Come on, Luke, shake a leg!" the Doctor called.

"Is Mum there?" Luke asked.

* * *

"Oh, she's fine and dandy." The Doctor told him.

"Yes!" Sarah Jane called. "Yes!"

"Now, Mr. Smith, I want you to harness the Rift power and loop it round the TARDIS." The Doctor called. "You got that?"

"I regret I will need remote access to TARDIS basecode numerals." Mr. Smith replied.

"That'll take a while." Lily said, moving to his side, wrapped in Jack's jacket.

"No, no, no." Sarah Jane said, moving around to the monitor. "Let me! K-9, out you come!"

They watched as K-9 appeared in Sarah Jane's attic.

"Affirmative, Mistress!" he replied.

"Oh, good dog!" the Doctor said, laughing delightedly. "K-9, give Mr. Smith the basecode."

"Master." K-9 acknowledged. "TARDIS basecode now being transferred. The process is simple."

"Why doesn't it surprise me that your old dog has an ego?" Lily asked.

He just grinned at her.

"Now then, you lot." He said.

He moved each person to a place on the console.

"Sarah-hold that. And Mickey-you hold that." He ordered. "Because, you know why this TARDIS is always rattling about the place? Rose-that, there. It was designed to have six pilots and I have to do it single handed. Martha-keep that level. But not anymore! Jack-there you go, steady that. Now we can fly this thing-"

Jackie was next.

"No, Jackie." He said, patting her shoulder. "No, no. Not you. Don't touch anything, just…stand back."

He moved on.

"-like it's meant to be flown!" he continued on with his previous thought. "We've got the Torchwood Rift looped around the TARDIS by Mr. Smith. We're gonna fly planet Earth back home."

He took his place at the console as Donna, Lily, and the New Doctor leaned against the rail.

"Right, then!" he called. "Off we go."

The Earth was quite literally pulled out of the Medusa Cascade by the TARDIS.

* * *

Luke clung to K-9 as the world shook, whooping with delight.

* * *

Gwen and Ianto held on tight, cheering, as plaster fell from the ceiling.

* * *

Wilf and Sylvia held on to each other as lights shook and glass shattered.

* * *

Francine was hiding under her table, paper falling all around her.

* * *

The TARDIS hardly shook as the group worked in tandem.

The New Doctor and Lily strolled around the console, watching them.

"Rose." The Doctor called, gesturing to a button.

Jack pumped a lever and Martha grinned excitedly. Sarah Jane pushed a lever down slowly.

"That's really good, Jack." Donna said, watching him. "I think you're the best."

Lily slapped her upside the head as she passed.

The three went back to the railing and leaned against it, chuckling.

Finally, the Earth was back in place, the moon beside it.

The TARDIS drifted away.

Everyone cheered. Donna pulled Jack away from Sarah Jane and threw her arms around him. They were all celebrating.

Except Lily.

The cheering died down as, one by one, they spotted her sitting next to Nine's body.

They watched silently as tears fell down her cheeks.

"I loved you too." She whispered. "And I'm sorry too."

She leaned down and kissed his forehead.

The body glowed a gentle gold before turning to dust.

She sobbed.

The Doctor slowly moved to her side and wrapped her in his arms, holding her as she mourned her Doctor.

A/N: One more chapter I think, and then Savin' Me is done. I'm so nervous. Let me know what you thought.

Abbey


	61. Journey's End: Time Ends

Disclaimer: *silence*

Ch. 61:

The TARDIS materialized in a park and Sarah Jane and the Doctor stepped out.

"You know…you act like such a lonely man." Sarah Jane told him. "But look at you! You've got the biggest family on Earth!"

She lowered her voice as the door opened and revealed Lily, cleaned up and in a new pair of jeans, t-shirt, and jacket.

"And a woman who loves you more than anything." She told him.

He smiled and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so glad I met you!" Lily told her when he let Sarah Jane go. "You really are amazing."

"Thank you." Sarah Jane replied, smiling as she hugged the other woman.

Suddenly she pulled away.

"Gotta go!" she said. "He's only fourteen! It's a long story. And thank you!"

They waved at her and she waved back before running off down the path.

* * *

Everybody was milling around the TARDIS. Donna was on her phone, Lily was in the corner talking to the New Doctor, and Jackie was talking to Mickey.

"Are you all right?" she asked him.

"I'm gonna miss you." He told her. "More than anyone."

"What do you mean?" she asked. "The Doctor's gonna take us home, isn't he?"

"But that's the point." Mickey replied.

She understood and wrapped him in a hug.

* * *

"Promise me." Lily told the New Doctor.

"Lily…" he whispered.

"It's where you belong." She told him. "He won't keep us together, but you need to promise me you won't fight him."

"What if I want to be with you?" he asked.

She smiled at him.

"You don't." she said. "I can see it in your eyes."

"Why is that?" he asked. "I remember loving you, so why don't I seem to?"

"You have his memories, but you're actually from before he met me." Lily told him. "You love Rose. You're just my brother."

He nodded.

"I promise." He told her.

* * *

Lily walked out of the TARDIS to find the Doctor disabling a protesting Jack's teleport.

"I TOLD you, no teleport." He told the man. "And Martha, get rid of that Osterhagen thing, eh? Save the world one more time."

"Consider it done." Martha replied, smiling.

Jack saluted the Doctor and Martha followed suit. He returned it.

Lily reached over and hugged Martha tightly.

"Get to know Mickey." She whispered in Martha's ear.

"What?" Martha asked, pulling away.

"Just trust me." Lily told her with a mischievous smile.

She shook her head at her friend.

Lily moved to Jack and hugged him too.

"I love you, Jack." She told him.

"You're saying goodbye." He stated.

She just smiled at him.

"Take care of yourself." She told him. "And kiss Gwen and Ianto for me."

He nodded and kissed her forehead before taking Martha's hand and walking away.

"You know, I'm not sure about UNIT these days." They heard him tell her. "Maybe there's something else you could be doing…"

The Doctor and Lily smiled at their retreating backs, and Mickey walked out.

"Oi!" the Doctor called. "Where are you going?"

"Well, I'm not stupid-I can work out what happens next." Mickey told him. "And hey, I had a good time in that parallel world, but my Gran passed away. Nice and peaceful. Spent her last years living in a mansion. There's nothing there for me, no. Certainly not Rose."

"What will you do?" The Doctor asked him.

"Anything! Brand new life. Just you watch." He told him, knocking his fist against the Doctor's. "See you, boss."

He turned to Lily.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Carter." He told her, smiling.

"You too, Mickey." Lily replied, returning the smile.

He winked before running to catch up to Jack and Martha.

"Hey, you two!" he called.

"Oh…" Jack said in mock exasperation. "Thought I got rid of you."

The door opened again and Donna stepped out.

"And where are you going?" The Doctor demanded.

"I'm going home to check on my family." She told him. "You can come pick me up when you're done."

Without another word, she walked away.

"Oh, Captain! Can you give me a ride?"

Lily shook her head and the Doctor just stared.

A moment, they went back into the TARDIS.

* * *

"There's time for one last trip." The Doctor said, walking to the console. "Dårlig Ulv Stranden."

The New Doctor and Lily exchanged a look.

"Better known as…" the Doctor continued.

* * *

The TARDIS materialized on the lonely beach in Norway and Jackie emerged, followed by the New Doctor and Rose.

"Ugh, fat lot of good this is!" she complained. "Back of beyond, bloody Norway! I'm gonna have to phone your father. He's on the nursery run."

Rose looked around, confused.

"I was pregnant, do you remember?" Jackie told the New Doctor. "Had a baby boy!"

The Doctor and Lily stepped out.

Lily was not looking well.

"Ah, brilliant!" the New Doctor said. "What did you call him?"

"Doctor." Jackie replied.

"…really?" The New Doctor asked warily.

"No, you plum." She told him. "He's called Tony!"

"Hold on, this is the parallel universe, right?" Rose asked.

"You're back home." The Doctor told her.

"The walls are closing again." Lily said. "The Reality Bomb never happened so there's nothing to keep them down. It's dimension retroclosure."

"No, but I spent all that time trying to find you." She told the Doctor, close to tears. "I'm not going back now!"

"But you've got to." He said, stepping towards her. "Because we saved the universe, but at a cost."

"And the cost is me and him." Lily said, nodding to the New Doctor. "I destroyed the Daleks. I fulfilled my purpose. I saved him from having to do it, but he would have. He was born in battle-full of blood and anger and revenge."

"Remind you of someone?" the Doctor asked Rose.

Rose didn't answer.

"That's me." He told her. "When we first met. And you made me better. And now you can do the same for him."

"But he's not you." Rose protested.

"He needs you." The Doctor replied. "That's very me."

"You need to understand Rose." Lily said. "Tell her. You promised."

"I look like him and I think like him…" The New Doctor said as Rose turned to him. "Same memories, same thoughts, same everything. Except, I've only got one heart."

"Which means?" Rose asked.

"I'm part Human." He told her. "Specifically the aging part. I'll grow old and never regenerate. I've only got one life…Rose Tyler. I could spend it with you, if you want."

"You'll grow-grow old at the same time as me?" she asked him.

"Together." He confirmed.

Rose took a step forward and rested her hand on his chest, feeling his one heart beating.

"It's more than that." Lily said.

They turned to look at her.

"I was dying when I made him." She explained. "I didn't have the strength to do it. I gave everything to him. Everything I had. The moment I touched that jar, my heart stopped and I died. I kept myself going by sheer force of will, holding this body together with my power, so I could finish my job. And this is my reward. I can make sure the people I care about are taken care of before I die."

She took a step towards Rose.

"I'm giving you a Doctor who will never be torn in two." She told the other woman. "He loves you, and only you. And he can stay with you. Forever."

There was a grinding noise from the TARDIS.

"We've got to go." The Doctor said. "This reality's sealing itself off."

A tear fell down Rose's cheek.

"Forever." The Doctor told her.

He and Lily turned back to the TARDIS.

"But it's still not right." Rose said, running after them. "Because…the Doctor's…still you."

"And I'm him." The Doctor said, nodding to the new Doctor.

"All right." Rose said. "Both of you, answer me this."

Both Doctor's stood next to her, identical right down to the slightest movement.

"When I last stood on this beach, on the worst day of my life…" she said. "What was the last thing you said to me?"

She looked at the Doctor.

"Go on, say it." She told him.

"I said, 'Rose Tyler'." He answered.

"Yeah, and how was that sentence going to end?" she asked.

He glanced at Lily before looking back at Rose.

"Does it need saying?" he asked, the pain evident in his voice.

Rose looked at him for a moment before turning to the New Doctor.

"And you, Doctor?" she asked. "What was the end of that sentence?"

He put his hand on her arm and leaned down, whispering something in her ear. He pulled away and Rose reached up and grabbed his lapels, pulling him into a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she wrapped hers around his neck.

The Doctor swallowed and Lily took his hand. He looked at her and nodded.

They turned and walked back to the TARDIS.

Rose turned when she heard the doors close and the engines start. She ran towards it, but it was already leaving.

The Doctor came up and slipped his hand into hers and they watched as the TARDIS left their universe forever.

* * *

The Doctor watched silently as Lily walked around the console, touching pieces at random.

"There were so many things I wanted to do." She said. "I always thought it'd be fun to go to Felspoon."

She gasped and grabbed the side of the console as her body rippled with gold light.

She sighed as it past.

"What happens now?" the Doctor asked.

"I open the watch." She answered.

He looked at her sharply.

"It's been unlocked since I destroyed the Daleks." She said. "It must have been a failsafe my parents put in."

She laughed darkly.

"Good planning on their part, right?" she asked.

She took it out and looked at it.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked her.

"I'm scared." She said.

"It doesn't hurt." He told her.

"I'm not scared of that." She told him. "I'm scared…what if I don't like the person inside that watch? What if I'm not real, just something my parents made up to take the place of their daughter while she slept, safe in the watch?"

She looked at him, tears falling down her cheeks.

"What if you don't love her?" she whispered. "What if she doesn't love you?"

The Doctor took her face between his hands.

"You are my mate." He told her. "And I don't believe that you aren't real. When you open that watch, you'll regenerate, and we'll spend eternity running from star to star."

He took her hand and wrapped it around the watch before backing away.

"I don't want to go." She whispered.

"You won't." he told her. "And I'll be here when it's done."

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too." He replied.

She hesitated for a second and her body convulsed with gold light again. Finally she shut her eyes and pressed the catch.

Then her world exploded.

* * *

Donna sat with her mother and grandfather at the dining room table, telling stories of the places she had been.

"And then Lily starts screaming at him for poking it with a stick!" she said.

Wilf roared with laughter and Sylvia smiled.

They heard the doorbell.

"I'll get it." Donna said, smiling.

She walked to the Door and opened it.

She saw the TARDIS across the street, and on the door step was the Doctor holding a blonde woman in his arms.

"Help me." He begged.

* * *

The Doctor stood in the door way, watching the woman as she laid still on the bed. Outside, a storm raged.

"Who is she?" Donna asked, walking up behind him. "Where's Lily?"

"That is Lily." The Doctor replied. "She opened the watch and regenerated. She's a Time Lord again."

"So why isn't she better?" Donna asked.

The Doctor sighed.

"The regeneration process is a tricky one." He explained. "Lily was technically dead when it happened. It shouldn't worked, but it did. She's alive. But she won't wake up."

He turned to her.

"I'm sorry for bringing this to you." He told her. "But I couldn't face it alone."

She rested her hand on his arm.

"I'm glad you came." She told her. "We'll take care of her. Together."

She smiled and walked to the bed, sitting down next to Lily and taking her hand in hers.

The Doctor turned and walked out.

* * *

Wilf brought the Doctor a cup of tea.

"Thank you." The Doctor said.

He took a deep breath and set it down in front of him.

"I need to talk to both of you." He told Wilf and Sylvia.

They sat down.

"I may need to erase Donna's memories." He told them with no preamble.

"What?" Sylvia gasped.

"You can't!" Wilf told him.

"She was part of a three way metacrisis." The Doctor said. "Lily tried to protect her, but she didn't have the strength. Part of my mind made it through to Donna's. Right now, it's dormant, but if it ever awakens, it will kill her. It will burn out her mind and nothing will be able to stop it."

"Can't you fix it?" Wilf asked.

"Only by erasing everything." The Doctor replied. "Every trace of me and Lily and the TARDIS…everything we did, everywhere we went."

"You can't!" Sylvia told him.

"I have to." The Doctor replied. "I won't risk her life."

"But she is better with you." Wilf said.

"Don't stay that." Sylvia said.

"No, she is." Wilf said angrily.

"I just want you to know that there are worlds out there, safe in the sky, because of her." The Doctor told them. "That there are people living in the light, singing songs of Donna Noble, a thousand million light years away…they will never forget her. And she will never remember. She was the most important woman in the whole universe."

"She still is." Sylvia said shortly. "She's my daughter."

"Then maybe you should tell her that once in a while." The Doctor shot back.

"Doctor."

He turned to see Donna standing in the doorway.

"You can't do this." She told him softly.

"You'll die." He told her.

"Isn't there some other way?" she asked. "Lily didn't have the knowledge unlocked until Davros hit her. I don't even know anything."

"But you understand things, don't you?" he asked. "Things make more sense, don't they?"

She hesitated before nodding.

"That's the knowledge." He told her. "Waiting in the background."

"But if I was careful, it wouldn't wake up would it?" she asked.

He thought for a second.

"You would never be able to travel with us again." He told her. "You would have to live an abnormally safe life. Anything strange, you would have to run the opposite direction."

"But I would remember, right?" she asked. "And I could still see you and Lily?"

"I suppose." He said slowly.

"Then that's what I'll do." She said. "I guess I'm home for good."

"Are you sure?" he pushed. "If you remember and I'm not here, you will die."

"But I'll die me." She replied.

She walked over and hugged him tight.

"Go sit with your mate." She told him.

She pulled him up and pushed him out the door.

* * *

The Doctor stood by the window, watching the rain fall. Behind him, Lily was still.

* * *

Lily looked around the white room she was in. All there was, was a table with three chairs around it.

She sighed and walked over and sat down.

Suddenly a woman with long platinum hair appeared. She looked a perfect version of Lily.

Lily knew she was Alyssy.

"I guess we're waiting for one more." Alyssy said, sitting down. Her voice sounded unfamiliar and familiar at the same time.

Suddenly another woman appeared. She had dark brown hair and looked very strong.

The Phoenix.

She sat down and they all looked at each other.

"Okay." Lily said slowly. "This is weird."

"Just a bit." Alyssy agreed.

"What are we doing here?" Lily asked.

"There are three of us." The Phoenix said. "Until we fully integrate, to function, one needs to be the strongest. Integration will take time and someone has to be in charge."

"And how do we figure that out?" Alyssy asked.

The three woman looked at each other.

"Oh, just great." Lily said sarcastically.

* * *

The Doctor sat down next to Lily.

"Wake up, Lily-girl." He said. "Please. Wake up."

A/N: And that's it for Savin' Me. Next story will be called Someday, and will hopefully start in a the next day or two. There will be one more chapter, like last time, giving the final Savin' Me stats. Tell me what you guys think.

Abbey


	62. Final Author's Note

Final Author's Note:

So we have reached the end of Savin' Me. For those of you still with me, the sequel covering the Specials will be called Someday. I'm hoping to get it up in the next couple of days. So, on we go to Savin' Me's stats, but first I wanna thank you guys. Seriously, you guys are fantastic. Thank you so much for everything.

Final Savin' Me Stats:

Chapters: 61

Words: 175,147

Hits: 11,988

Reviews: 280

Here comes the Specials!

Abbey


End file.
